Midnight Suns, Polar Nights
by Umigatari
Summary: AU Where Connor, Markus, and Kara are actually built like child androids (YK500's) but a little bit different. They are created by Kamski after he has already left Cyberlife and are given something which no other android has; free will. What they do with it has the potential to influence the lives of every single being, human or android, in all of Detroit.
1. Chapter 1

**Midnight Suns, Polar Nights**

Connor was reading a book on the human anatomy in his room when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. Not soon after, a Chloe android entered. She had a somewhat kind face and asked him if there was anything he needed. He pulled a screen of his condition at the moment. His stress level was at 0% and his battery level was at 72%. He wasn't in need of any thirium and from the looks of his recent diagnostic, he was fine. He told her so and she left as quietly as she came in. Such has been his life for the last twelve years. Since being brought to 'life' as it were by his creator, Elijah Kamski, Connor has been living his life in relative ease. Though he supposed if he were programmed differently, then any hardship he faced wouldn't be recognized as unsavory or a bother. Unlike all the other models Kamski had made, the goal of Connor's existence wasn't to become yet another subservient android like the Chloe's. He had been made to be raised and treated like a human child. Kamski told him that he'd gifted Connor with free will to do what he desired. And he wasn't the only one.

Before him were two other androids who were created with the same intent. Markus and Kara. They too were made and given the agency no other android had ever been given. Together, the three of them lived in Kamski's mansion; their every need met and all the resources in the world to aid them in whatever they wanted to pursue. Connor believed that made them a family. At least, that's what human familial units usually emulated. A parental figure or guardian and their children. But Kamski wasn't exactly fatherly to them in any way. Not outside of being their creator. For the last twelve years, Kamski has kept himself at a distance from all three of them. He went about and did his business, whether it be to promote his products, come up with more innovative designs, or give lectures around the world. He'd return to his mansion every few months to check up on them at the most superficial level. He'd analyze their emotional capacity and their physical conditions. There was never a time where his expression changed when he looked at his findings. He'd always wear this unreadable look, nod a few times and whisper something to the Chloe's nearby. And then he'd leave again to go to his next jobs.

There was never any indication that this routine would ever break. So when it did, Connor found himself caught completely unaware of how great the changes would affect him.

By evening, Markus had coaxed Connor out of his room and into the library. There, Kara was already sitting by the window, making some artificial flowers out of cloth. The library in Kamski's mansion took up two floors and was organized by color. By subject or alphabetically would have made more sense but Kamski had other things in mind.

"Why'd you ask me to come here?" Connor asked, taking a seat across from Kara who gave him a brief look in greeting. He still had the anatomy book on him which he planned to crack open right after he got an answer from Markus.

The oldest android in the room took a seat next to him and poked at his face. "You've been locked in your room for far too long, brother. I just thought you'd want to get some fresh air."

"The air in my room was never stale to begin with." Connor said with a deadpan. "And we don't need air. We're androids."

Markus was always adopting human behavior. Out of the three of them, he seemed to emulate humans the best. Next was Kara. Connor was last.

"I think what he means," Kara interjected. Her brown hair had been tied into two long braids. "Is that we've missed your company Connor. You don't have to talk or anything, but just your presence would make this house seem a little less empty."

Connor considered her words. Technically, the house wasn't as empty as it seemed. There were about thirty Chloe androids around the mansion, taking care of whatever Kamski asks of them. They must be complicated orders since the Chloe's never seem to rest. But he knew what she really meant and sighed. "Sorry I haven't been out that much. I've just gotten into this book and I guess time just slipped away from me."

Another feature unique to only them. Their knowledge was limited. Unlike the other androids, who had the entire internet stored in their head, infinite data locked in the confines of their skull, Markus, Kara, and Connor had to learn things. It was a feature that made them more human-like. Once they did however, they'd be able to retain the information forever.

Markus scoffed in a teasing manner. "Do you plan on becoming a doctor? This is the third book you've read on human anatomy."

Connor looked down at the cover of his book. It wasn't something he'd considered, the topic just caught his interest. "I'm not sure. It doesn't seem like a bad job."

Though as he said that, he didn't believe he'd like being a doctor very much. Something about it just wasn't calling out to him. He didn't feel the desire to make it his lifetime career. Assuming he'd grow out of this default body and become an adult. The three of them had been stuck with the same proportions for twelve years, caught between a child and an adolescent, though leaning more toward adolescent. Markus was the tallest one at five foot two. Kara was five feet, and Connor was about four feet and eleven inches.

"Well I want to become a superhero." Markus said, his eyes lighting up at the idea. Kara held in a giggle while Connor rolled his eyes. He didn't understand where Markus' fixation on fictional characters began, but he's always wanted to become some do-gooder that the people can look up to. He admired noble individuals who did the right thing not because they were programmed to, but because they wanted to. Human police officers and firefighters in particular fascinated him.

Kara sighed and placed her fabric flowers down. She'd made white lilies today. Their petals were plush and toward the center of the flower, there was just the lightest yellow hue. She was deft at sewing, a craft neither Markus nor Connor excelled in. They had given it a try once but needlework never came naturally to them as it did to Kara. Sure they could learn how to do it properly and then they'd never forget the knowledge but it wasn't within either of their interests so they left that to their sister. "What should I be then? A seamstress? Or maybe I should open up my own bakery or something."

"I don't see why not, my dear." A voice echoed from the entrance of the library. Had they been human children, the three of them would have jumped in surprise. As it were, they simply turned to the door. Elijah Kamski had returned home. And a whole week earlier than usual too. "The possibilities are quite literally endless for you."

He walked over and grinned, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Nice to see you're all together. Now I won't have to repeat myself. Tonight will be Markus' last night here."

The trio of them stiffened. They exchanged wary looks and it was Markus himself who asked, "What do you mean by that, Mr. Kamski?"

Kamski never allowed them to call him by anything other than his last name. It was his way of maintaining the distance he'd created between them. He'd made it very clear that the only relationship they had with him was that of creation and creator in the most objective sense possible. There would be no strong emotions, whether positive or negative, shared toward him and this neutrality would be reciprocated. Kamski smirked and splayed his hands on the table near Kara's flowers. "I have a dear friend who's going through a bit of a rough patch right now. Carl Manfred? You know him as the critically acclaimed artist who's paintings I buy and keep in the east wing. Unfortunately, he's suffered a stroke a few weeks ago. His legs have become quite weak and he'll need assistance around the house. I'm sending you to him. He's set to be released from the hospital tomorrow."

"Will this be permanent, my leave?" Markus questioned with furrowed brows. Connor could tell he was trying to make sense of all of this. They all were. It didn't seem like a bad thing. But they've never been separated before.

Kamski tilted his head to the side. "Probably. Unless he doesn't want you then you'd come right back here. But I doubt that Carl would turn you away. Think of this like as an adoption. You're finally getting a real parent. And for that, we should celebrate. Come along kids, I've had Chloe set up something special in the dining room."

In the dining room there was a Chloe wearing a party hat, standing near the seat that Kamski usually sits in when he eats. There were a few balloons tied to his chair. On the extravagant marble table was a cake. 'Congratulations! You've been adopted!' It read. She had a near blank look on her face and brightened up only a fraction once they arrived. The three of them went to take their usual seats but were stopped by Kamski. Instead, he had Markus take his seat and positioned Kara to stand on his right and Connor on his left. They were then each given a party hat to wear. Connor couldn't help but think this all seemed like a poor mockery of a birthday party. It was odd of Kamski to arrange this for them. They didn't even eat human food.

He seemed aware of the absurdity since he said, "I know you don't eat but I just thought it'd be nice to go by tradition. Humans have a cake at every little event they celebrate. Birthdays, holidays, graduating, getting a job, losing a job, breakups, etc. This is just another one of those cake-worthy moments."

Connor stared at the cake. It was frosted in obnoxious colors, clashing horribly with the rainbow confetti sprinkles thrown all over it. If he had human eyes, they probably would have started to hurt now as their optic cones would have been assaulted. Nobody said anything for a minute though that didn't seem to faze Kamski. He brought his phone up to take a picture of them. Chloe handed Markus a knife so he could cut the cake.

"Say cheese!" Kamski requested with exaggerated cheer.

"Cheese." Markus, Kara, and Connor said at the same time in relative monotone. The camera light flashed just as Markus pushed the knife into the cake.

Kamski didn't even bother showing them the picture. He put his phone away and took the knife out of Markus's hands to cut himself a piece of cake. "Alright well, you three go on and say your farewells and then recharge for the night. I'll see you all tomorrow."

A clear dismissal. Markus and Kara said their good nights. Connor didn't bother. He knew it made no difference to Kamski if he said good night or not. Trailing behind his siblings, it had become an unspoken consensus to take refuge in Markus' room for the night. The three of them sat on the large rectangular rug that took up nearly all of his room. Each one of their rooms were decorated differently though they shared similar furniture. They each had a desk with a plain lamp to sit on top of it. There were no computers with which to use. Kamski had been adamant about them learning things the proper way. If they were to connect to the internet for just a second, they'd get millions of terabytes worth of information downloaded into their heads. Their creator did not want that to happen lest they become just another android with too much information in their heads and not enough room to think for themselves.

For some reason they each had a bunk bed in their rooms as well. It didn't make any sense to Connor why Kamski would do this since he only had three android children. But he had insisted it made their rooms look more fun. Markus liked sleeping on the top bunk. Kara would alternate from top and bottom. Connor always just slept on the bottom bunk, seeing no point in wasting his energy to reach the top.

Kara gave Markus a worried glance. Now that they were out of Kamski's company, the air around them was less awkward. "How do you feel?"

Markus hummed absentmindedly, hands clasped together. "The way I see it, I'm not being sentenced to death here. I'm going to Carl Manfred in order to be his caretaker. From what we know of him, he's a wealthy artist who currently lives with his son. His wife passed away two years ago. Their mansion is in a quiet, secluded neighborhood. I think I could have been dealt with a lot worse."

"How do you know so much about him?" Connor asked. It was only tonight that they had found out Carl Manfred was a dear friend of Kamski. And it wasn't like Markus could have pulled up the artist's profile within a second like other androids could. But from the way his brother was talking, it seemed as though he knew much more about the man.

Markus gave him a sheepish look. "I did some research into him a while ago. I like looking at his paintings in the east wing and I wanted to know a little more about him. Who would have thought Mr. Kamski would assign me to take care of him?"

Kara smiled. "Well then I guess you're being sent to meet your idol. But I wish you didn't have to go away forever."

Markus shook his head, bringing an arm around Kara's and Connor's shoulders. "I'll definitely come visit you guys. If Carl Manfred is as nice of a guy as I think he is, he'll let me see you again. Besides, let's not forget there's a chance he might send me back here."

Though Connor didn't emote that much, he could admit that there was a tension within himself building at the idea of Markus leaving. His stress level had even increased a few percent. Markus had been a constant presence throughout his entire life. And to go from a group of three to a unit of two would change their dynamic entirely. As the younger siblings, both Kara and Connor looked to Markus for guidance. But that would not happen anymore. Because by tomorrow, he'd be gone.

And just like that, Markus had left. Early in the morning, Kara and Connor were allowed to say their goodbyes one more time before their brother was ushered into the back of a sleek looking car with Kamski. Kara's hands rested on Connor's shoulders and together, they watched the car drive until they could no longer see it. After that, Kara suggested they go to the garden.

The garden was large and lush. It was comprised of both regular hedges and some of the most exotic flowers in the world. Though he didn't have the ability to smell, his scanners picked up how the air was dense with pollen. It was the middle of spring and the flowers were at their peak. They bloomed a little brighter and stood a little taller under the mid-morning sun. Kara sat under the large cherry blossom tree, whose flower petals rained down on her at a moderate pace. Connor followed her and lied down, looking directly up at the branches.

She gave him an amused look. "This garden is beautiful, isn't it? I never get tired of looking at everything here."

Connor's nose scrunched as a petal landed right between his eyes. "It is beautiful. The harmony of colors in front of a backdrop of green makes for an appealing aesthetic. Just like the way the books are organized in the library. It doesn't make sense, but it's nice to look at."

"I wish the same could have been said for the cake last night." Kara grinned.

Connor eyed her curiously. His sister had never been in the habit of making jokes, not like Markus. But maybe without their brother, she felt the need to step up and fill the void. Kara would never be able to fully make them forget about the absence, but he appreciated the effort. He allowed himself to smile at her words. "I hope it tasted good, because it looked terrible."

The two of them stayed in the garden for a long time, sometimes conversing but mostly sharing quiet moments. They were each caught up in their own minds and for once, there was no one to distract them out of it.

With or without Markus, time went on. Months passed as they always did and now, Detroit was beginning to receive the warmth of summer. Connor had not seen Markus since his departure from the Kamski mansion. He often wondered how his brother was doing. Did he like living with Manfred? Did he like being able to see the man paint in person? Had he forgotten about Kara and Connor?

Connor shoved the last thought out. They were androids. They couldn't forget. But that only led to a more troubling idea. What if Markus didn't want to come back to them? What if he chose to leave for good? Maybe he enjoyed the presence of humans more than he did of his siblings. Manfred also had a son. What if the two of them got along? It made sense then, how the Kamski mansion would not hold any appeal to his brother anymore. Even if he were to return, what would he be coming back to? An empty house filled with Chloe androids who were no more personable than the furniture around them and two more androids who looked the part of a human child but did not act like a human child.

Late at night, he would sometimes visit Markus' bedroom and just sit there. Kara would usually already be recharging by 11 pm and the Chloe's never bothered him. Connor would take in some of the details of the room. Like how the entire room was painted in a warm orange, how some of his books on botany and leaf identification still laid open (untouched since his leave), how there was a scuff mark on the railing of the top bunk bed because Markus once tried to leap off of it only to hit his head on the ceiling and fall back onto the bed. Connor would sit there and find comfort in it all. It made it easier for him to recharge for the night if he was in Markus' room rather than his own. He didn't have an explanation for it, and no matter how many times he ran his diagnostics, no answer would be provided for him. So he gave up trying to rationalize his tendencies and just did what he wanted.

Mid July, Kamski returned from his travels. Again, he was back an entire seven days ahead of his usual schedule for the last twelve years. It made Connor nervous. A break in the pattern again. The sun was just about to set when he entered Connor's room. "Hey kiddo, is Kara in her room?" Kamski asked. Not even a word of greeting before he got to whatever task he had on hand.

Connor lowered his book on forensic investigation. "She should be."

Kamski smirked. "Good. Come with me Connor. I'm going to need to have a talk with both of you."

Keeping his expression blank, Connor followed Kamski as the man entered Kara's room. She was reading a book when they opened the door. Her face was guarded and slightly worried when she saw Kamski with Connor in tow.

He sat them down in the living room by the fireplace. As Kara fidgeted and Connor stared at the wall behind their creator, Kamski took his time with what he wanted to say. He poured himself a glass of red wine and swished it around. "Do you know why I called you here? Take a guess."

Connor said nothing so it was Kara who had to find the courage to speak. "One of us is leaving again, is that it?"

There was a glimmer in Kamski's eyes though Connor couldn't decipher whether or not it was a good thing. "Absolutely right you are. And it's you Kara, who will be leaving."

Looking down at her hands, Connor noticed that his sister was clenching them rather hard, bracing herself at the information to come. What a human thing to do. "Where will I be going? With who?"

Kamski shrugged. "I don't know. Whoever will be the highest bidder at the auction tomorrow."

Even Connor had to take a sharp intake of air at the response. It shouldn't be possible for an android to look sick but Kara looked like she might vomit in a few seconds. "Y-You're selling me?"

"Don't take it to be a personal thing honey, it's not." Kamski tried to assure her. It didn't work. "And this isn't a punishment either. I just thought you'd be better off with someone else who could maximize your skills rather than have you waste away here. What better way to make sure you're taken care of than to allow for the wealthiest person besides me to have you?"

Connor was at a loss as to what to do. This all seemed wrong. Markus got to know ahead of time who he'd be going to and Carl Manfred seemed like a decent man. Wherever Kara was going now was unknown. They don't know who the future owner will be, what their background was, or even what their name was. He opened his mouth to say something but Kamski cut him off. "This is my decision for you. It has been made and it will not change. Tonight is your last night here. You two should know the drill by now; say your goodbyes and recharge."

His tone was cold and it had a sense of finality that Connor didn't dare to argue. Their 'father' wasn't even looking at them. His eyes were on his glass of Merlot, unfocused and pondering. The conversation was over. They didn't even get a chance to argue before they were dismissed.

This time, Kara didn't even bother wishing Kamski good night. She rushed out of the living room and Connor gave Kamski one last lingering look before chasing after her. In her room, Kara paced. Her ponytail swung back and forth with each movement. She was panicking.

As soon as he closed the door behind him, Kara had her arms around him. "Oh Connor, what am I going to do? I don't even know where I'm going to go or who I'm going to live with. I'm scared."

Indeed, her 82% stress level reflected that. Connor tried to calm her down. He led her to her bed where they both sat on the bottom bunk. "Look, I know this seems like a lot. And it's not fair what Kamski's doing. But maybe, in his own way, he's trying to get you into a good home."

"But Markus knew who he was going to, I don't!" She cried. 84%.

The intensity of her emotions jarred him. This was more than he could understand. Somehow, Connor knew that whatever he would say to her, it would be of no use. Sitting there next to Kara, he did his best to calm her. The only thing he could do was pat her shoulder until she eventually fell into sleep mode.

Connor didn't recharge all night. After he laid Kara into her bed, he gave her a long look. Then he took a circle around her room. This would be the last night she would be in it. Her room was painted a light plum color, accented by rich purple lining. Her desk was organized yet comforting. It wasn't so cold and precise as Connor's desk was. She kept a small basket of cloth to the side where some had been sewn into flowers and others were left undone. Kara had a few origami figurines that she folded though most of them turned out to be lopsided or misshapen.

All the way until dawn, Connor kept circling the room, trying to dispelling this uneasiness within him. It was similar to how his body had reacted when it was announced that Markus would leave. Now the feeling seemed to have doubled in its intensity knowing that Kara will leave too. His battery was at 9% but he ignored it. Then, at the faithful hour, Kara had awoken and suddenly, they were facing each other at the front door to the mansion. Connor stared into her sunken eyes, knowing that she had gotten a full night's rest but still feeling so dispirited. She gave him a tight hug and quickly turned away from him. Every step she took away from him and toward the automated taxi was widening the chasm between them. But it was a threshold he could not cross. So he stood there until his vision blurred and the warning sign appeared before his eyes that he was at dangerously low levels of energy. 2% it read. Reluctantly, he gave the empty road a few more seconds before he ran to Kara's room. Just as he reached the last of his 1%, Connor collapsed onto her bed and slept for two days straight.

Connor felt as though he was in a constant loop of nothingness for a long time. Markus was now no longer a person he could even reconstruct the phantom presence of anymore. And as for Kara, he didn't think he wanted to. The idea that he could still reconstruct her comings and goings around the mansion would only give way to more emptiness when it was over. Now, Connor actively avoided his room. He alternated between recharging in Markus' room and Kara's room. He even tried the top bunk once but there wasn't any appeal to try again afterwards. He gutted his room of all his books and placed them on Kara's bookshelves instead. Any stationary or writing utensils he had sat on top of Markus' desk.

Without someone to pull him out of his thoughts or convince him to leave the confines of his bubble, Connor nurtured a path of single-mindedness. All he did was read. He read all of his books on human anatomy, psychology, ethics, and forensics within a week. Next, he tackled all of Markus' books. That took another two weeks. Then all of Kara's. Eventually, the entire library. When there was nothing more to read he asked one of the Chloe's to order more, and with Kamski's never ending funds, it wasn't a problem. There were magazines that were downloaded onto tablets but he never touched them. His hand would be too active, in need of a page to turn now and again. Connor let himself drown in the texts, relinquishing his mind to the printed words.

Instead of appearing a week earlier than usual, Kamski showed up extremely late. He had the habit of returning to his mansion every three months but since Kara's departure, he'd been gone for nearly half a year. Connor sometimes wondered if the man had grown bored of his house full of androids and abandoned them altogether. But around the middle of November, he showed his face. Connor had been sitting in the middle of a dead garden when the entrance to it was opened loudly.

"Phew! It's cold out here! You're not freezing your fingers off or anything, are you?" Kamski asked conversationally, taking a pair of gloves a Chloe handed to him.

Connor gave him one look and turned back to his reading. Even without looking at his creator, he knew that Kamski was rubbing his hands together, trying to get them to warm up. An icy wind blew their way but Connor didn't feel anything. Well, he felt the swishing of his hair.

"Uh oh, this ones regressed quite a bit." Kamski sounded displeased. It was the first time he actually sounded genuine in his assessment.

The snow beneath his feet crunched irritably as Kamski made his way over. Connor felt a light hand on his shoulder and he knew exactly where this was going. There was no need for pleasantries but he waited for Kamski to speak first on the matter.

"I'm pretty sure you know. It's your last night here. Sleep well, Connor." Was all that was said. He was given even less information than Kara. But Connor didn't care, he gave his creator one single nod and made his way back into the mansion. Except, the same hand rested on his shoulder again, this time holding on harder. His body recognized it as an unusual pressure and that gave him pause. "Before you go," Kamski said, his voice barely above a whisper. "be sure to really enjoy your last night here. Because the next time you wake up, everything will change."

Connor gave away nothing of his thoughts and headed to the door. Just as he reached the door handle, his sensitive hearing picked up Kamski's last words. "For better or for worse."

Kamski knew he'd heard him.

For the first time in more than nearly year, Connor chose to sleep in his own bedroom. It was now empty of any of his belongings. The only thing that had a hint of personality was the color of his walls. It was a cool blue that reminded Connor of the ocean and of the sky at the same time. He left the lights to his room on. His eyes tried to take in each little centimeter of blue he could see. He remembered the day he'd been brought to life. The first thing he saw was a spectrum of colors. A screen consisting of more than 300 squares of colors lined an entire wall. He didn't see Kamski yet, nor did he see Markus or Kara. All he saw was the rainbow. Somewhere overhead were speakers. "Go on," Kamski had urged. "pick a color."

Connor faced the wall and his eyes scanned every color twice. The process lasted more than ten minutes, but nobody rushed him. His hand made contact with the blue, almost cyan square and all other colors fell away. Then, the square flipped to its other side and there was a name. 'Connor.' From then on, he'd been known as Connor. Apparently behind every color was a name. As another token of agency which Kamski had given to them, upon awakening, they had chosen their own color of preference and name. Their creator may have put together the parts that comprised them but they were tasked with the responsibility of molding themselves into the people they wanted to be. The 'Color Initiation,' as Kamski liked to call it, was one of the most important step to jumpstart their sense of self and individuality.

His room may have been stripped of all else but he still had the walls. And somehow, Connor found himself ok with recharging for the night.

++++++++++++ End of Part I ++++++++++++

* * *

 _If you've somehow made it here (provided that it wasn't by accident) thanks for reading this entire mess of a story! Means a lot to me. I wrote it all and posted it all pretty quickly. I wanted to get it out there before I got too self-conscious and critiqued this story to oblivion. Anyways, do leave a comment if you like it, hate it, think it's trash. Any feedback would be good, honestly. Also, if anyone actually wants more of this garbage, just know that I'm the worst when it comes to continuations. Maybe there'll be more, maybe there won't._


	2. Chapter 2

Connor usually had a decent grasp on time but he truly felt that time went a little too quickly for his last night of recharging in the Kamski mansion. The sun had just peaked over the horizon but his room wasn't bathed in a blue atmosphere. He had kept his light on. Laid out before his bed was a white dress shirt and deep blue shorts with suspenders on them. This look hadn't been in fashion for a long time but Connor didn't question it. He put the clothes on dutifully and gave his empty room a final goodbye.

Downstairs, Kamski was waiting for him, leaning against the front door, playing with his phone. He put it away when he saw Connor approaching. The man gesticulated dramatically toward an automated taxi. "Your chariot awaits."

Connor entered it and waited for Kamski to follow him in. He didn't. His creator leaned over the car door and gave him a quick look up and down. "Right, so here's the thing; I'm setting you free. You can go anywhere you desire. Out of Detroit, out of the country, whatever you want. There's no owner waiting to take you."

Connor blinked twice. In that time he still didn't think he'd synthesized Kamski's words properly. " . . . Excuse me?"

Rather than getting annoyed, Kamski just nodded his head patiently. "You heard me. You're free. You are your own person. Yeah you look like a twelve year old but we both know you're capable of taking care of yourself to the fullest extent. So just tell the taxi where you want to go and it'll take you there. If you want to take a plane, just put it under my tab."

Markus didn't have a choice. Kara didn't have a choice. Connor had . . . too many choices. What should he do? Visit his siblings? Did they even want to see him?

'Uh oh, this one's regressed quite a bit.' Those words lingered in his mind. No. Markus and Kara were better off without him. If he's truly regressed as Kamski had put it, then he was more android than human and surely they didn't want to see him now.

Connor couldn't think of a reply. Kamski didn't bother saying goodbye. He slammed the door shut and the taxi just began to drive out of the estate. "Where are you taking me?"

"With no distinct instruction, I was ordered to just drive around town until you come up with a destination you wish to go." The automated voice of the taxi replied.

He leaned back into his seat. Well this was just great. They drove on for hours. The bill must have been nearing five hundred dollars by now but it didn't matter. That type of money was nothing to Kamski. As the taxi entered the heart of the city, Connor looked out the window, fascinated by all the people and androids of society. He'd never been allowed outside the mansion before so this was all new to him. Sure he's seen pictures of the city and even some clips from the security cameras around the area, but to be at the center of the great metropolis that was Detroit, even someone as unfeeling as him was touched by the sight. Uptown was where most of the stores were located. People walked about, carrying numerous bags of all sorts of products. Connor could barely keep up, scanning the items as the taxi drove by the humans. Downtown, things were a bit more understated. There were more apartment buildings and small houses that took place down those streets. Every few blocks there was a store. A deli. A supermarket. A flower shop.

Eventually, even those sights fell away. But they repeated again when the taxi drove another circle around the city. Connor wondered if it normally chose to repeat past streets if the customer didn't know where they wanted to go. By now, the bill was nearing a thousand dollars. The entire day, Connor just sat in the taxi. He didn't know where he wanted to go. He didn't have enough resources to make a good decision. For all of his reading, there wasn't much that helped in this particular situation.

"Dear customer, I regret to inform you that I am nearing the end of my energy reserves. Would you like to change to another vehicle? Your current bill will carry over." The taxi explained.

That seemed like an incentive to leave. "Actually, here is fine." Connor answered. "I'll take my leave here."

"Is this your destination?" The taxi asked, requiring confirmation.

"Yes."

"Very good then. Thank you for riding with Detroit Taxis. We hope to see you again."

Connor strode out of the taxi and closed the door behind him. It promptly left. In a moment of spontaneity, he had hopped off. But now what? Maybe he should have tried to meet up with Markus or Kara after all. They might not have been thrilled by his presence but at least they could have given him some guidance. Connor took in his surroundings and realized he was on the edge of the town. To his left were some of the buildings of downtown. To his right was a cemetery.

He looked around, trying to find some sign to push him in one direction or another when a figure caught his eyes. It was a relatively tall man, though his shoulders were hunched. His shabby clothes stated that he didn't really care about his wellbeing and his tangled hair and disheveled beard had certainly seen better days. Connor would have thought the man homeless if it wasn't for the police badge by his belt. That caught Connor's interest. Though the man was quite a distance from him, the information on his badge could be spotted.

The man worked for the DPD. Maybe Connor could ask the man for some advice. Perhaps the man will even be kind enough to take him to the precinct where he could get more information about the city and what to do. Even before he had affirmed the plan in his head, his legs were already moving.

* * *

It's been an entire month since Cole passed away and the entire thing still seemed unreal to Hank. Even though people gave him looks of pity, even though they walked on eggshells around him, it was still hard to believe that Cole was really gone. From October, he'd mostly been blackout drunk so there wasn't much to remember. The only thing he really remembered was October 11th and every day since then had been a painful blur. Jeffery had given him two months leave for the funeral and to process the loss. The arrangement of the funeral was done and over with faster than Hank had initially believed. He almost wanted it to drag on so he could see his boy above the ground for just that much longer. But now, Cole was definitely six feet under and nothing was going to bring him back.

In the one rare moment he was sober, Hank had decided to visit his son's grave. It was around six o'clock in the evening and by November, the sky was already pitch black. Walking toward the entrance of the cemetery, Hank felt as though he was being followed. It was just a small feeling but his instincts were never wrong. He didn't confront the perpetrator right away, where it was safe to do so. The self-destructive side of him wanted to lure the person in deeper to the center of the cemetery. And if they were idiotic enough to follow him, he'd pull his gun out. Who knows, maybe this night might end with him shooting someone. Or himself. He'll probably be suspended or maybe even fired. Who the fuck cares?

Cole's grave was near the south side of the cemetery but like hell Hank was going to lead some random stranger tailing him to it. He walked a leisurely pace until downtown Detroit was as far away from him as it could be. Then, he rounded on the stalker and his gun was out. "Alright, who the fuck-"

The rest of the words got caught in his throat when Hank realized that he was looking at a kid. No. An android. An android child?

It had pale skin with a light dusting of freckles. Its dark hair was neatly combed back save for a wayward lock that jutted out and sat on his forehead. It had brown eyes which were wide and unassuming. As always, a LED circle flitted blue by its temple. All of these features mashed together to make one goofy looking face.

"Hello." It greeted, unperturbed by how strange the setting was. "My name is Connor. I was hoping you could help me."

Hank didn't know how to respond to that. He was way too old to be dealing with random shit like this. "I don't know who you belong to, but fuck off. I'm not on duty."

Any human would have flinched at his words, but this was an android he was talking to. It didn't react negatively to his rejection. The android pondered over his words and furrowed its brows a bit. "I thought the police were supposed to want to help people all the time."

This tin can was more naïve than Hank thought. This android was most likely from a sheltered family, never seeing the harshness of the world. Just from the posh looking clothes, he could tell that this Connor hadn't been brought up in any humble home. Actually, now that he thought about it, since when were dress shirts and suspenders back in style?

"I don't . . . I don't belong to anyone anymore." It responded.

Oh great, a robot with a sob story. Just what Hank wanted to hear. "Boo fucking hoo. There are worse things in the world than being thrown away kid. Now fuck off. Seriously. Before I shoot you." He even brought his gun back up, lining it just perfectly to hit the android in the head if he wanted to.

Infuriatingly enough, it took a step closer. "You wouldn't shoot me. You're a policeman. Policemen are good people."

The nerve of this bot. Hank almost wanted to shoot a warning bullet, just to scare it. But the conviction in its eyes made him pause. It had the utmost faith in the reputation of the DPD. Unfortunately, that meant it had faith in him. And however small of a thing that may have been, the android had shaken him. He didn't deserve to have someone believe in him to that magnitude, not even if it was coming from an android. Gritting his teeth, Hank knew he was in for a long night when he asked, "Who was your owner? You know, before they kicked you out?"

Though he hasn't been to work in weeks, he was right back to detective mode in a matter of seconds. That was a reflex he couldn't shake. Even with a gun aimed at its head, the android answered him smoothly. "Elijah Kamski. He was my creator and I've lived in his mansion for twelve years. He just 'kicked me out' as it were, this morning. Though in his terms, he was 'setting me free.'"

Jesus Christ. Kamski? Elijah Kamski? Hank felt a headache coming on. What the hell was the man thinking? He could have asked that, but it probably wouldn't yield anything useful at the moment. The main issue at hand now was what the hell were they going to do?

All of a sudden, Connor took another step closer to him. And then another. Hank nearly had to push the android off of him when it said, "Are those two robbing a grave?" Its eyes were focused on something behind him.

Hank's head whipped around to see a pair of men some hundred feet away doing something. His eyes weren't what they used to be and the dark of the night certainly didn't help. "What the hell are you going on about? What do you see?"

Connor had a curious expression on its face. "They're digging out a grave. The tombstone indicates it belongs to Abigail Smith."

Abigail Smith. One of the wealthiest woman back in the day. Her wealth originated from her ancestors, making her a member of old money. People like that have long gone extinct in this day and age. She had even been a benefactor if Kamski in his little android project at the time. Who knew a little funding could lead to such life changing results? The old woman was laid to rest with nearly every piece of jewelry she owned. Hank would have thought if one were to be buried with a fuckton of precious metals and crystals, then they would have preferred to rest in a place with a little more security than the average cemetery. But Smith was a person of the people no matter how rich she was and she chose to lie among the people.

From time to time, people would try to rob her grave. Usually, they would be caught by the cemetery groundskeeper but tonight, Hank didn't see the man around. Nor did he see any of the androids that usually helped him. There was definitely something fishy going on. Placing his gun back in its holster, Hank crouched behind the tombstone closest to him. Connor imitated his movement.

"I need to get closer." Hank murmured to himself. The last thing he needed was for the criminals to get spooked and run. That was a chase he wasn't in shape enough to pursue.

Connor's LED glowed yellow for a minute before it returned to its usual blue. "It'll be best if you close in on them from the left. That's their blind spot. They've kept their faces consistently to the east for the last ten minutes."

"Shut up kid. I don't need your help." Hank grumbled. Nonetheless, he took the android's assessment into consideration.

This was the part of being a cop that he hated the most. The being-sneaky part. He was usually an impatient man and wanted things done and over with. Sneaking around was just adding pressure onto him because he knew that once the perpetrators catch one whiff of law enforcement on the scene, they scatter. Hank needed to make sure he got both of them at the same time. Hopefully they'll surrender in the face of a gun.

It took time but Hank was able to inch close enough to the grave to see that it's been half dug out. He had been so preoccupied with keeping quiet he didn't realize Connor was behind him every step of the way.

"Now would be an opportune time to confront them." Connor said, making Hank nearly jump from surprise.

"What- this is as far as you go kid! Stop following me!" Hank hissed. This android needed to piss off wherever the hell it came from. Hank didn't need a liability on his ass.

Just then, one of the men digging the hole looked up from his work and shouted, "Who's there?!"

Well it was now or never. Hank got up and flashed his badge. "Freeze! You're under arrest for attempted theft and destruction of property!"

Both men seemed shocked that there was even a cop to be found in the vicinity. Something about their looks reeked premeditation on a higher level than just impulsive behavior. He brought his gun out but the sound of a trigger clicking wasn't his doing.

"Hank, I didn't think you'd be here." Behind a large oak tree was the groundskeeper. The man was of small stature and had a lightly hunched back. He was all skin and bones, yet he had the courage to confront Hank with a gun.

"Andy, what the actual fuck? You're an accomplice to these idiots?" Hank couldn't believe it. Andy was even older than he was. He was two years away from retirement. What compelled him to rob one of the graves he's looked after for more than twenty years?

Andy couldn't meet him in the eye. Good. At least the man seemed ashamed of his decision. "I'm not asking you to understand, Hank. But I need the money for my daughter. She's having another kid in a week and she's barely making ends meet. Sarah could be evicted from her apartment in a few months' time. She could be homeless with four other mouths to feed. I don't make nearly enough for her and the kids. I can't even look after myself well enough."

"And you thought that this was the way to go? Come on, Andy." Hank was disappointed in the man. There had to have been better ways of handling the problem. But that's been the issue since the rise of the androids, wasn't it? People were losing jobs. They were getting paid less and forced to settle because they should consider themselves lucky they weren't yet replaced by a robot more intelligent and capable than them in every way.

The older man's hand was trembling. "Please. If you have any amount of mercy in you, let this go. Abigail Smith has already been dead for twenty five years. She doesn't need those diamonds."

Hank sighed and shook his head slowly. "That's not your decision to make. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to take you in. All three of you."

The threat of being thrown in jail jarred one of the grave diggers enough that he jumped out of the hole and snatched the gun away from the groundskeeper. "I don't think so old man. We're not going anywhere."

The man was in his mid-twenties, with blond hair and brown eyes. His face was stoic and hardened, as though he's live his entire life having to rob graves to survive. At the corner of Hank's eye, he saw a blur of bright blue light but he couldn't stop it in time. Connor was charging right to the young man with the gun. Having mistaken Connor for another police officer, he pulled the trigger. The android veered away from the bullet and continued on its path, not the least bit deterred. By the time the man knew what he was dealing with, his grip on the gun grew slack, just enough for Connor to smack it out of his hands. The commotion distracted Hank until he noticed the partner trying to run away. The other man was close enough for Hank to run after and tackle to the ground. Andy didn't bother running nor did he try fighting. He just stood there, watching it all with a sad look on his face.

His phone read 8:20 pm when backup had finally arrived and all three men were rounded up. It was police officer Chen and her partner. She had given Hank a bland look, which switched to curiosity when her eyes landed on Connor. "You're going to have to fill out a report for this, Lieutenant Anderson."

That was all she said before she was in her car again, going to deliver the DPD three new criminals for the night. Hank didn't think he'd find himself grateful to the woman for keeping things strictly professional. There was no trying to comfort him or even shock that she'd seen him today when no one else in the DPD had seen him for a whole month. No pity, just doing her job.

But at the mention of paperwork, Hank sighed and dragged his hands down his face. Shit. And he had to bring Connor in too. The tin can's seen too much and even took action during the arrest. Connor had to give a statement. The android didn't say anything in the last hour. It just observed. But when Hank looked down at it and Connor met his glance, it seemed to perk up a bit. What the hell did Hank get himself into?

"Lieutenant-" Connor began.

"You're out of your mind of you think I'm going to thank you for what you did. You just bought me a whole extra stack of paperwork write up." Hank cut the android off, walking out of the cemetery and toward his car. He beckoned for Connor to follow and like any other heap of plastic, it followed obediently.

"That's not what I was going to say." Connor clarified. "I was going to say that this has been a very interesting mission and I am happy to have been able to assist you."

Mission? Hank rounded on the bot. "Listen here you plastic prick, that wasn't some kind of high level spy mission we just completed, so get that out of your head. And I didn't need your help. You ran into the fray."

He entered his car and Connor took shotgun. He stared at the android, waiting for it to put the seatbelt on. When it didn't, he made a gesture with his hand that told it to hurry up.

"Oh, right. Of course." It said absentmindedly, finally making a grab for the seat belt.

Hank rolled his eyes and turned the ignition on.

++++++++++++End of Part II++++++++++++

* * *

 _Hey there guys, hope you liked this little chapter. Or not. Anyways, just wanted to say this now that I've just realized the difference in length from the first chapter to the second; I don't have some kind of precise word count quota for the chapters I write. (I've tried that before and it ended terribly for a past story I'd written years ago. You probably don't care about any of that.) Also, what's kind of weird about this whole thing is that I've been writing this entire story on my phone, so I don't even know how many words a chapter has until I've emailed it to myself and bring it over to Word. I just stop the chapter whenever I feel like it's a good time to stop it._

 _Long story short, I hope you guys don't mind if some chapters have a lot more content than others. (Though I'm pretty sure I'd never let a chapter go through without being at least 2,000 words.)_


	3. Chapter 3

During the drive, Connor was subjected to some of the loudest, most intrusive music he's ever heard in his life. He's heard Kara on the violin before and Markus on the piano but this, whatever this was, was worlds away from any of that. These musicians, they didn't sing, they screamed. There didn't seem to be any sense or coherency to their composition but Lieutenant Anderson did not look bothered by it. Connor wanted to ask about the model of his car but didn't think he would win against the screeching. It was an interesting vehicle to say the least. Nowadays, no one owned a car like this. Everything was automated. Hardly anyone drove anymore.

They made it to the Detroit Police Department about seven minutes later than an automated taxi could have but Connor didn't mind. The precinct was just like the pictures. The front desk had three receptionist androids. The one closest to the right greeted the lieutenant but he ignored her and went deeper into the precinct. Connor followed him but kept his eyes open to all of the details of the department. The fluorescent lights bathed the entire area in a cool white. It accentuated all the blue toned items in the room.

Suddenly, a shadow came over him and a man in his late thirties stared down at him. "Sorry but this place is off limits to tin cans and children. And you're both, so you're definitely not allowed here." The man looked fatigued and burnt out but still found the energy to antagonize Connor.

He tried to justify his presence when Hank hollered, "Knock it off Reed, it's with me."

Reed scoffed. He opened his mouth to say something but then frowned, thinking better of it. Giving Connor one last glare, he left. He caught up to the lieutenant and the two of them entered an office whose walls were completely comprised of glass. The symbolism must have been to represent transparency and honesty. It was a sight that suited the police department. Inside, there was a man of dark complexion sitting at the desk. He looked surprised to see the lieutenant. "Damn Hank, I couldn't believe it when Chen told me you had apprehended three grave robbers with a child android in tow. What the hell is going on with you?"

Lieutenant Anderson didn't take a seat, though there was a chair provided. Connor stood slightly behind him, assessing the conversation. "It's not like I wanted this to happen! Last time I checked, I was still in the middle of my two month leave!"

"You were visiting Cole." Captain Fowler said with understanding. Connor eyed his name plate. He was the captain of the entire police department. From the way they spoke to each other, he suspected that Captain Fowler and Lieutenant Anderson were close friends.

Hank threw his hands up but the gesture was completely halfhearted. "Yeah. Yeah I was. Until this plastic prick started tailing me." He pointed to Connor, bringing him to the center of attention. That was the second time the lieutenant had called him a 'plastic prick.' He thought about correcting the man. Androids weren't compromised of plastic. They were made with a certain elastic polymer. But he kept quiet on that. It didn't seem like the right time to bring it up.

"Hello, my name is Connor." He said politely. "I am currently . . . homeless and am in need of assistance."

The captain gave him a look of disbelief. "We don't exactly have shelters for homeless androids. Who would throw a child android away?"

Hank scoffed. "Kamski. Connor came directly from Kamski, not Cyberlife."

"He set me free to pursue whatever I wish." Connor supplied. He believed that should have given more insight for the men but both of them still looked perturbed and lost. Captain Fowler rubbed at his forehead. It didn't seem like he knew what to do with Connor. Had he made a mistake? Was this the wrong thing to have done? The police department was most connected with all other facilities in society. They helped those who needed help.

No.

They helped people. Connor felt his thirium pump beat irregularly at the realization. He'd severely misjudged all of this. He was an android. An android who was created with no purpose. All Kamski had done was release a not-so-human-like android into the city with the hopes that Connor could figure out his life. They couldn't help him because he was something they didn't understand. He was truly on his own in this. The clarity of it all shook him to the core.

"I . . . I apologize for the inconvenience. I think I should go . . ." Connor didn't know what his tone sounded like. Was it steady as it usually was? Or was it warbled? He was too caught up in his mind to notice the looks of concern on other the captain and lieutenant's faces. His stress level was increasing. It was at 44%. And his battery? When was the last time he checked that? 30%. Ok, at least he'd still be functional for a while longer.

He didn't know when he had ran out of the glass office but he did. Lieutenant Anderson's yells went unheard. There was a horrible sensation welling up in Connor. It made him feel off kiltered. His hands had involuntarily clenched at his sides. A memory suddenly lodged itself to the forefront of his mind. This was the same way Kara had reacted when she had heard that she would be sold off. He thinks he knows what this is now. Panic. He was panicking.

A hand reached out to grab his arm and he was spun around to face the lieutenant. Lieutenant Anderson; he could have killed him if he wanted. Connor stared down the barrel of the gun so confidently when in reality, the man could have just as easily shot him without any repercussions. He had been so foolish. Connor didn't know what expression he had on his face but it probably wasn't a good one. His stress level had climbed steadily to a 56%. He needed to do something. Go? Stay? What was the right choice? 60%.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" The lieutenant demanded.

"Huh?" Connor couldn't even think of a proper response. He had no answer to that question. Now he was aware of how unstable his voice was. This was unlike him and he didn't like it.

The man didn't try to comfort him or reassure him of anything. He just gruffly pulled Connor along until he was pushed into the seat of a cubicle. The gesture wasn't comforting but it wasn't harsh either. Lieutenant Anderson pulled a chair from another cubicle and dragged it to his own. To take his mind off of his dilemma, Connor scanned some of the items on the desk. The nameplate on his desk revealed that his name was 'Hank Anderson.' There were some stickers that told dry, sardonic jokes. A hat hung at the corner of the cubicle and it had the logo of some sports team named the 'Detroit Gears.' Looking at the chair he was sitting in, Connor detected dog hairs on it.

Lieutenant Anderson waved some papers in front of his face to get his attention. "You're not leaving that easy kid. Got to finish this damn report and I need your statement."

Of course. He'd forgotten about that. That was the real reason why he was here. To give a statement of what he'd witness a few hours prior. Why did knowing that make him feel even worse?

Any question Lieutenant Anderson asked, Connor answered efficiently and succinctly. He was nearing the end of his energy reserves. 10% didn't render his incapacitated, but it wasn't a good number to be at. However, he mentioned none of this to the man seated next to him. What if his confession gave the DPD all the more reason to toss him out? Throughout the interview/interrogation, Connor realized that he didn't want to leave this place. At least, not without the lieutenant. If he stepped out of the precinct alone that would have really cemented how entirely lost he'd be. That would have meant that there was no corner of the world which would have been able to help him.

"Look Connor," Lieutenant Anderson began. His tone didn't sound encouraging. "I don't know what we should do about your situation. Hell, you've even got Fowler tongue tied. But that doesn't mean there isn't some solution out there."

Connor nodded sluggishly. His battery was at 4%. When had that happened? Did his stress drain his energy at a faster rate?

"I guess you could stay here for the night in one of the cells. But it's pretty shit in there."

He didn't care. All he needed was a place to recharge for the night. Any random corner of the precinct would have done the deed. "I . . ." Connor never got a chance to continue his sentence as he fell face-first onto the desk.

The next time he woke up, it was at precisely seven in the morning. His stress level had been brought back to zero; though that didn't mean it couldn't increase right back to where it had been the night before. Blinking a few times to clear his view, Connor found that he was still sitting in the chair the lieutenant had placed him in last night. He'd been propped up so his head wasn't on the desk anymore. But now, the lieutenant was nowhere to be seen. Already, his stress level was already back to 10%.

He stood up so quickly that the chair squeaked in protest and was unintentionally rolled back. From the exclamation of pain that he heard behind him, he had accidentally rolled the chair over someone's foot. Connor didn't have to pivot because the person had turned him around themselves. It was Reed. Their faces were inches away from one another. Now that Connor was able to read the working ID that the man wore around his neck, it was revealed that he was looking at a detective. Detective Gavin Reed was not happy to see him.

"You fucking brat. Shouldn't you be out of here already?" Reed sneered. "Not surprising of Anderson to snap out of his drunken stupor just long enough to adopt some fake kid."

"Lieutenant Anderson did not adopt me." Connor bristled. What a preposterous accusation. "He merely kept me around to take my statement of last night's crime."

Understanding flooded Reed's eyes but his face didn't get any less mocking or mean. "Is that right? Well then, there's nothing keeping you here now. He's already submitted the report. So go on, get the hell out of here."

His thirium pump began to increase in speed now. Out of fear. Connor really didn't want to leave and just the thought of it had him dizzy. "But-"

"But nothing. Stop trying to freeload in the precinct." The detective snapped. "People actually work here. Or did you forget that when you conveniently shut off?"

Connor stammered, not able to come up with anything to say. What was he to do when logic was not at his disposal and all he was doing was running on distress and fear? Was this what Kamski had in mind when he let Connor go? Freedom didn't seem like such a novelty anymore. It was terrifying. Against his will, he was pulled off the floor by Reed.

"No, wait, please-!" The pleads escaped his mouth in a rush that captured the attention of a few other officers in the precinct but no one did anything.

"HEY! Reed, back off!" Lieutenant Anderson came just in time to release Connor from Reed's clutches. Connor sank back into the seat, shaken.

Now, the two men were engaged in a heated argument.

"I will when you kick this tin can to the streets, where it belongs! I thought you hated androids, why the hell are you keeping this one around?"

"That's none of your damn business, Reed. Go back to whatever the fuck you were doing and leave him alone."

Even though the other employees had shied away when Reed made a grab at Connor, they instinctively leaned closer when the argument between Lieutenant Anderson and Reed broke out. Humans were only invested in human affairs. The observation sobered Connor a bit from his idealistic view that all people were good and chased after admirable traits. Not even in the DPD did its employees embody any sense of integrity. They only worried about what mattered to them. Selfish. Was that the proper term for them? Or maybe their treatment toward him was justified because he was an android. Only a day in and Connor already hated this new world he'd been thrusted into. Perhaps Kamski had let him go because he was defective and therefore undesirable. At least Markus and Kara were able to go to a home.

Things were being said back and forth but Connor didn't pay attention. He was brought out of his head when Lieutenant Anderson threw a punch at Reed. It landed. Now the commotion was more frenzied and Captain Fowler had actually steeped out of his office.

"Anderson! Reed! In my office, now!" He bellowed and the crowd scattered, going back to whatever they were doing before. The two men glared at each other before following their orders.

Though he couldn't hear the trio, Connor saw Captain Fowler make large gestures with his hand, first toward Lieutenant Anderson and then to Reed. Then, Lieutenant Anderson jabbed a finger at the detective, only to have it smacked to the side by the irritable junior. Their conversation was a lengthy one, lasting nearly twenty minutes. Reed nursed his new bruise, which had already begun to darken at the high point of his cheekbone the entire time. Whatever agreement they were forced to come to filled the office with palpable tension. Reed was the first to storm out of the room, not even bothering to hide his anger. People moved aside to prevent from colliding with him.

Lieutenant Anderson left not too long afterwards, closing the door to the glass office firmly, but not aggressively. He made his way back to his cubicle which had Connor fidgeting. The scrutiny the man gave him made Connor nervous but he tried his best not to bolt from his seat. It wasn't like he had lots of options on his hands.

"Come on kid, I'm taking you somewhere else. You've been getting too much attention out here."

The lieutenant said nothing more and simply started walking. At least it wasn't toward the entrance of the precinct so Connor took his chances and trailed behind. He headed to a different wing of the building, where certain points required an employee's ID in order to be granted access. Eventually, he was led to a dim room which was empty. At first, he thought he was being detained until he noticed the large two-way mirror that took up most of the wall. On the other side, an interrogation room was connected to the dim one. There, the man that the lieutenant had recognized as the groundskeeper of the cemetery was sitting in the center of the room. His hands weren't bound with any cuffs but it didn't seem likely that he'd resist the police anymore. They were folded neatly on the metal table and the man had a patient expression on his face.

"Stay here." Lieutenant Anderson ordered. "I'm going to go talk to Andy over there."

Connor took a seat by the mirror. He had no intention of leaving and they both knew that. The lieutenant went to the other room and approached the older man with familiarity. Connor couldn't exactly hear what they were saying to one another. In front of him was a button which he assumed would allow for the audio of the conversation to be heard on his side but he didn't dare press it. He just spent his time reading the expressions of both men.

Markus and Kara never had trouble in bringing their emotions to their face. But from countless hours of practicing in the bathroom mirror, Connor could admit that facial expressions were out of his depth. He could tell some of the easier ones like a smile, a frown, or a grimace; but what did it mean when someone had just the slightest corner of their mouth upturned? What were they thinking when they looked at you with weary eyes? How do you react when someone would bite the inside of their cheek and avoided your gaze? He's seen humans do all of these expressions before but he could never truly decipher their meaning.

Initially, Lieutenant Hank Anderson had paced around. It looked as though he was speaking at a high volume from the way the other man sunk into his seat. There was no response from the older man. Then, the lieutenant let a neutral demeanor settle over him. He actually took a seat and opened a file that was already on the table. His shoulders were stiff as pointed to the images. The pictures inside were at an angle that Connor couldn't really make out what they were of. Then, the interrogator and person being interrogated briefly held a gaze. After that, the lieutenant threw the blasé stance he had and his entire body seemed to have relaxed into his chair. The movements of his arms were softer now, his face less harsh and more coaxing. His eyes stopped being as piercing as they've been the entire investigation and his hands sat lightly on top of the table, upturned; making one last gesture to the man known as 'Andy.' Just like that, the groundskeeper, who had kept silent for nearly 45 minutes broke down and began talking.

The entire time, Connor watched the scene play out before him, amazed at what had happened. He'd never met someone so in tune with their emotion and skilled at using it in order to get other people to confess things they didn't want to. Back at Kamski's mansion, a place where he'd lived the first twelve years of his life, Connor had no one to further his understanding of human emotions. Save for Kamski himself, everyone else in the mansion was an android. And his creator was far too elusive when he was present for Connor to even attempt to understand. He recalled a conversation he had with his siblings all those months ago; back when none of them imagined they'd ever be apart. Markus had made a comment of the possibility of Connor becoming a doctor. No, he didn't want to be a doctor. What he wanted to be was just like Lieutenant Anderson.

When the interrogation was over, the groundskeeper was brought somewhere else by Lieutenant Anderson. Connor assumed it was back to his cell. It was actually Captain Fowler who opened the door to Connor's room. "So Hank's got you in here for now huh? Probably a good idea."

"Captain," Connor began. "how did the lieutenant get the man to confess? He didn't want to at first. How did he . . .?"

He couldn't finish his question, not even knowing how he could word it so it would sound comprehensible. Somehow, the captain had an idea of what he meant and smiled a small smile. "Curious about interrogation work are you? Well it's a little hard to explain. Hank is already acquainted with Andy Cork so that probably makes it a little easier. There's already a sense of trust established between them. However small, it makes a big difference in the interrogation room. Probably went through some routine questions at first and slowly worked his way to the more personal stuff."

Connor processed the answer. Something told him that the entire procedure was much more complicated than how Captain Fowler explained but it was a starting point. There was something inside of him that had taken an interest to the police work and he's unwilling to let it go. "I couldn't hear what they were talking about but just watching the interrogation, it was . . . incredible." He said honestly.

"That so?" The captain asked, sounding amused by his opinion. Then he looked pensive. "I might have thought of a solution for you after all. Come with me."

Connor, both intrigued and elated that the man had some inkling of how to deal with his issue promptly left the room. Again, he found himself in the man's office. It would seem that anything important and in need of privacy would be taken up in the captain's office. Well, auditory privacy. The same couldn't be said physically. Everyone else at the bullpen could still look at the clear room for what it was and assume the conversations occurring inside.

Captain Fowler had Connor take a seat by his desk. It seems like he's been doing a lot of sitting lately. They seemed to be waiting for someone. Connor took a glance at the items on the desk in front of him. There were a lot of pens and papers about. Among the objects was also a pile of coins. Upon further inspection, Connor realized that they were quarters and pennies. While the captain was distracted by something on his computer, Connor took a quarter and inspected it. It had been minted in 1994. This coin has been around for longer than he'd been alive. Much longer. Out of reflex, he did a few tricks with it. First, he simply rolled the coin between his knuckles back on forth on both hands. Then, he swished it back and forth between his palms. He was in the middle of spinning it on his index finger when he heard the door to the office open. Turning around, he noticed that it was Lieutenant Anderson.

"How the hell are you doing that?" The man asked, looking slightly impress by his display of reflexes.

"It's quite simple, lieutenant." Connor answered. Letting the coin jump from fingertip to fingertip. "I let it balance on top of my finger and push it just enough that it-"

"Let's save the party tricks for later." Captain Fowler said with a wave of his hand. Connor stopped his movements and palmed the quarter. "Now, given your . . . grievances last night, I've been trying to thinking of where you should go. I don't think there's any organization that would take you on. I hate to say it but you're an android. Too many people in homeless shelters are homeless because of androids so they won't take kindly to having an android among them. It'd be seen as a mockery of their situation."

Connor blinked. "How so?" He couldn't find the connection between him being in a homeless shelter and the hostile reaction that the captain anticipated.

Lieutenant Anderson pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kid, your kind made them homeless. How shitty would they feel if we've got homeless androids as well? As though androids are outperforming each other. They'd feel even worse about themselves."

"Oh." He hadn't thought about that. But he was never one for empathy in the first place. Things like that were what Connor categorized as a human thing.

"And we can't keep you here. You can't stay here because the precinct just isn't a place to keep a child, whether or not he's an android. It's bound to rub people the wrong way." Captain Fowler continued. "So here's what I'm proposing . . . a very tentative plan that may temporarily hash this out. Just for the time being. And is in no way permanent. . ."

The captain now sounded very nervous as he cast a look to Lieutenant Anderson. The two of them looked at one another for just a split second before the lieutenant exploded. "Fuck no! You have got to be shitting me Jeffery! Abso-fucking-lutely NOT."

Connor didn't understand what was happening. One moment, Captain Fowler was talking in circles and as though by telepathy, the lieutenant knew exactly what his superior was suggesting.

"It'll just be temporary! Like I said, we can't keep him here. Do you have any other plans, Hank?" The captain asked.

"I don't but fucking hell, how could you even ask that of me? There's a reason I haven't been to work and drinking until I can't remember my name. Can't you do it? Can't literally anybody else do it?" Lieutenant Anderson demanded.

"I can't." The captain frowned. He left it at that and something in his tone said that he didn't want the matter to be pushed. Connor wondered if he had a bad experience with androids. If he did, his interactions with Connor haven't revealed anything. "As for anybody else, well, you try going around the precinct and asking them to take on a teen android. How well do you think that that's going to go?"

"Shit." The lieutenant cursed once. "Shit." Twice.

"Would you prefer to kick him out to the streets?" Captain Fowler inquired with an eyebrow raised.

That unpleasant feeling of panic was making its way back to him. He looked at the captain and then the lieutenant with wide eyes. "No, please. That's not what I want! I-I can help around here! I helped Lieutenant Anderson apprehend the men at the cemetery last night!"

Connor stood up now, his hands grip on the quarter tight. He could not bear the thought of being kicked out, not when he was so close to hearing that solution that Captain Fowler talked about. The plan that the lieutenant seemed so adamantly against. "I can be of use to the DPD."

The captain look surprised by this. Had he not read the report yet? "Is this true Hank?"

Lieutenant Hank Anderson rubbed his face and let out a groan. "Yes, ok? He took Peter Wells down while I had David Menz. Dodged the bullets coming at him like he was from the goddamn Matrix too."

"Hank," Captain Fowler was now looking at Connor in a new light. "that's fantastic! Connor might be in the RK series. It's kind of weird that he's a kid but still, God knows how much we need those types of androids right now."

"Are you?" The lieutenant asked gruffly at Connor.

He paused, trying to understand what was being asked of him. "Kamski did not design me to fulfill a particular role or function. I had been made with the purpose of pursuing my own interests. I happen to have taken an interest in the duties of law enforcement."

"He's a cop in the making." Captain Fowler pressed.

"He's a kid." Lieutenant Anderson protested.

"I may have the appearance of an adolescent but I assure you lieutenant, I am not as helpless as a human twelve year old. I am quite capable of maintaining my wellbeing. I just need a place where I can recharge for the night." Connor informed.

"Hank . . ." Captain Fowler said.

The lieutenant looked very stressed and irritated. There was a long awkward pause before he'd spoken up again. "You've got to be fucking joking. You've really got to be fucking joking. Fine. Fine! But only for one week, two weeks tops and by then you better come up with a less shitty plan, Fowler."

"One month." The captain bartered. Connor still didn't understand what was happening but having the lieutenant cave must have been a good thing. "You're off until the end of next month."

The lieutenant glared at his superior but said nothing against it. His eyes were like chips of ice, cold and unyielding. "And you'll have a real plan by then."

Captain Fowler met Lieutenant Anderson's skepticism head on. "You have my word."

"I can't believe this." Lieutenant Anderson muttered as he began to take his leave. "Come on kid, we're leaving. I'm taking the rest of the month off. I mean it this time."

"Where to?" Connor asked, confused by how the vague conversation ended.

The man snorted in return. "Were you not just here for the entire conversation? You're going to be bumming it out at my house."

He's only known the man named Hank Anderson for about 16 hours. In that time, he found out that the man likely has a problem with alcohol, is confrontational, and is generally irritable. But he also discovered that the man was also great at his job, adept at Connor's weakest subject, and was somewhat considerate to Connor. He could have told Connor to 'fuck off' and truly mean it but he hasn't. Instead, he was actually inviting Connor to his home. Feeling deliriously relieved, he ran after the lieutenant, forgetting that he held onto Captain Fowler's quarter the entire time.

++++++++++++End of Part III++++++++++++

* * *

 _I hope you guys liked this chapter! Let me know your thoughts. School's started again for me so updates will be more and more spread out. I do have quite a bit written down though so I guess you don't have to be afraid of this story being left hanging. Yet. See you all in two weeks!_


	4. Chapter 4

Damn it all to hell this was not what Hank thought he'd be doing today. If two nights ago, someone told him he'd be driving an android child home with him, Hank would have knocked their teeth out. Yet here he was, doing the unthinkable. He didn't know what made him more pissed: the fact that he accepted such a disaster of a plan, the fact that Jeffery had just let him go with such a pleased look on his face, or the fact that Connor looked like he won the damn lottery upon hearing he'd stay with Hank. He had turned his music all the way up. The interior of the car was practically vibrating from Knights of the Black Death. Connor looked concerned. Good. He should be. He just found himself a one way ticket to a shit home with a shittier owner.

Hank pulled up to his house and stared at it in resignation. He was hoping to get the whole grave robbers case thing over with and come home to his whiskey but it looks like that's going to have to wait. Connor exited the car and his eyes seemed to scan the house from the roof down. "This is a nice house." The android commented.

Hank scoffed. "It's no mansion but it does the job."

He was fishing for his keys when he felt a tug at his jacket. Fucking hell the action had given him a briefest flashback to Cole and how his son would always do the same thing when he wanted attention. Hank violently shoved those thoughts away. He'll sooner die than break down in front of Connor. "Lieutenant, if you are concerned about my preferences, I am able to find nearly any living space adaptable."

See, he looked like a kid but the second the tin can opened his mouth, there's no mistaking him for what he was, an android. Since when did Hank begin to refer to it as a 'him?'

Leave it to the kid to completely misread his sarcasm. Hank said nothing and pushed through his front door. Sumo was there to greet him with a hearty bark. Connor actually jumped. Hank snorted as he closed the door and hung his coat up.

"Connor, meet Sumo. My dog. Sumo, meet Connor. Our new roommate." Hank introduced the two of them to one another with some amusement. He'd gotten Sumo not too long after Cole had died. It wasn't something he planned, his feet had just carried him to the pet store and there was just something about the little Saint Bernard that caught his eye. Before he knew it, he was taking the puppy home.

"Hi Sumo." Connor said hesitantly, reaching a hand out. Sumo sniffed it and licked the android's fingers. The positive reception brought a small smile to Connor's face.

He almost looked like a real human child. But he wasn't. 'Snap out of it.' Hank thought to himself. 'The thing is pure machinery. It can't be more different from people. There's nothing but millions of responses that have been pre-made for it to choose from. Androids don't have souls.'

Eventually, Sumo yipped and dashed back to his chew toy. Connor turned to Hank. "So you do own a dog after all. There were strands of dog hairs on your chair back at the precinct."

"Wow. You've cracked the case." Hank replied sardonically. "Look, why don't you head to the guest room and make yourself at home? There ain't much else to do around here."

"I'll take a look around your home then lieutenant and begin to memorize the floor plan." Connor said as he stalked off down a hallway. "It'll be important to know where are the exits are in case of an emergency."

Hank snorted, watching the android leave. Then, he went to get a beer instead. Now didn't seem like the right time to get shitfaced. Turning on the television, he skimmed through the new channels and got straight to the sports channel. He'd missed the game last night, having to stay at the precinct to finish his report and he was too anxious to leave an unconscious android at his desk all night. Not that he gave a shit about what might happened to Connor. But if Connor did get damaged, the blame would fall on Hank. Even if Kamski had 'set Connor free,' there wasn't anything Hank could do if a hefty bill came his way at the expense of the android.

Within a matter of minutes, Connor had come back from his little adventure with Sumo in tow. The dog yipped at Connor's heels. What a traitor. He wasn't supposed to warm up to the android so quickly. "I've memorized the floor plan lieutenant." The android said, as though it was something praiseworthy. The redundancy of his words also grated at Hank's ears. Yet another strike as to how inhuman Connor acted.

Hank waved a dismissive hand in Connor's direction although his eyes were still on the television. "Yeah sure, whatever. Just take a seat or something."

He did as Hank had told him and took a seat on the opposite side of the couch. By his peripherals, Hank could tell that the prick was staring at him. Eventually, it became too aggravating to ignore. "What?" He demanded, finally turning to Connor.

Sumo had finally jumped onto the couch where he settled with Hank. There's a good boy. Connor took a moment before saying his piece. "Lieutenant, I don't mean to alarm you, but it would seem that you are malnourished. My scans indicate that you are lacking the usual amount of calories you should have by this time of day." He eyes the beer in Hank's hand. "Healthy calories, that is."

Hank rolled his eyes at the bot's report. His eating routine has always been fucked. Even more so since last month. Being a cop didn't always encourage one to eat the healthiest. You slowly begin to gravitate toward food of convenience even if it was shit. There just wasn't enough time or energy he had in a day to cook and eat what he should.

"Don't worry about me kid, I'm not dying or anything." Hank said flippantly.

Connor settled back into couch again and stared at the television. He lasted a good three minutes before sitting up again. Jesus, this kid was restless. "I could cook for you lieutenant."

Hank raised an eyebrow at that. "You know how to cook?" He assumed that because the android had been living with Kamski, he'd have all his needs met and be spoiled to the core.

"Well, no." He answered. "But I can simply download the skill and look up easy recipes to replicate. It'll be like my way of thanking you for letting me stay here."

Huh. So the kid had some sense of decency in him. Hank conceded. Hell, if Connor wanted to take a crack at it, then by all means. Hank had nothing to lose by letting him rummage the kitchen and try to scrounge up something edible. He told the android that much and he watched Connor scramble to the kitchen. Keeping his eye on the plastic just long enough to see him examine the pantry, Hank turned back to the game. 'He can figure everything out on his own.'

Somewhere along the way, Hank had begun to doze off. The noise of the Detroit Gears going head to head with some other regional team seemed like the perfect thing to lull him to sleep. In the middle of his nap, he was rudely awaken by a string of incessant barking from Sumo. His eyes were still closed but he was slowly coming to. What the hell was wrong with that dog? "Sumo, quit your yelling."

His puppy did no such thing. Hank cracked open one eye to see Sumo looking toward the kitchen. Then, the smell of smoke finally filtered into his nose. He got up so fast he suffered from a bit of vertigo. Whipping his head to the stove, Hank saw Connor trying to wave away big black clouds of smoke that emerged ominously from a pot.

"What in the fuck are you doing?!" Hank demanded between coughs as he covered the pot with a lid and silenced the fire.

He was met with Connor's pensive face. When the kid finally looked at him, he didn't seem the least bit guilty of the mess he'd made. "Lieutenant, I seem to have underestimated the complexity of cooking."

Underestimated the- Hank pinched the bridge of his nose. The amount of exasperation flooding through him at the moment was unbelievable. He just couldn't seem to catch a damn break lately. Taking a deep breath to reign in his anger, Hank pointed to the hallway. "Ok, you, fuck off. I'm going to have to clean up your mess now."

"But-" Connor tried to protest but Hank did not let him get another word in.

"FUCK OFF."

The android had enough sense to make himself scarce by then, slowly backing away until he was no longer visible around the corner. Sumo whined at the terrible smell surrounding the kitchen. After some time had passed and he'd crack open the window, Hank took the lid off of the pot to see what Connor had tried to make. Jesus fucking Christ he couldn't even decipher the ingredients inside from how utterly charred they were. Everything was just like a big pile of tar. That shit probably wouldn't come out no matter how much he scrubbed it. He sighed. There goes a perfectly good pot.

The next few days were rough for him as he tried to grow accustomed to the new addition in the Anderson household. For the most part, Connor had stayed out of his way, opting to read some books that Hank kept on his bookshelf or play with Sumo. Connor once gathered the courage to ask if he could try his luck again in the kitchen to which Hank completely rejected. There was no way in hell he was throwing anymore pots and pans away because the android wanted to test his capabilities once more.

Having Connor around wasn't the worst thing in the world. The plastic wasn't really bothersome in any way, other than his insistence to cook. And yet, Hank still felt off in the company of Connor. Something about knowing that Connor was here, so close to a human but not quite, contrasted so starkly to the absence of his actual son, Cole. Late in the night when the android was away recharging or whatever, Hank would sit at the kitchen table cradling a glass of whiskey in his hand and ponder. If Cole was here, what would he think? Would he be happy to have gained a pseudo-brother or would he be upset, thinking he'd been replaced? Would Connor even be here if Cole was still alive?

Their meeting had been one of coincidence. Hank just happened to have gone to the cemetery that day. It really could have been anyone else. The android would have probably just wandered around town in a daze until he found some other sorry bastard to latch onto. If Cole was alive, he might have never even met Connor. If Cole was alive . . . If Hank had taken a different way home that night . . . If he had been driving just a bit faster or slower . . . The thoughts always led back to that night and the 'what-if's' were endless. They swallowed him whole until he could just barely manage to carry himself to his bed and pass out. Connor hasn't truly seen Hank at his lowest, not yet. After all, he hasn't drawn his gun out in a drunken stupor just yet. But that day was bound to come sooner or later. Then maybe the prick would regret ever tailing Hank in the first place.

About five days later, Hank received a call from Jeffery. It was the middle of the night and he was currently eating yesterday's Chinese leftovers. Sumo, the lazy pup that he was had fallen asleep right next to his food bowl.

Had Jeffery actually figured out a way to get rid of Connor? "What do you want Fowler?"

"So I know it's only been a few days but I wanted to ask, how are you?" The DPD captain asked. What the fuck was with that inquiry? Something told Hank that Jeffery didn't really give a shit how well he was fairing with the bot. His longtime friend wasn't an uncaring person, but they usually weren't in the habit of asking one another how the other was fairing. Especially over something as minor as him taking home an android, which Jeffery oversaw in the first place. There's more to the conversation than the captain led on.

But for now, Hank would take his damn time. Fuck Jeffery and whatever else he was so worried about. Hank was still on leave. "Oh, you mean with Connor? Well, things have been pretty annoying lately with that pile of plastic around. Did you know he ruined one of my pots the other day? I had to throw it away! The food he made was awful too, filled the entire house with-"

"You sound fine to me if you're able to complain that much." Fowler said dryly.

"But Jeffery, you're the one who asked." Hank retaliated. "Checking up on me like the good friend you are, isn't that fucking right?"

He knew that Jeffery knew it was time to put the bullshit aside and get to business, whatever business it was that had the captain calling him out of nowhere. Hank heard a shuffling of papers as though the captain was trying to stall for time. He was not going to like this.

"There's been another case of an android going deviant." Fowler said grimly. "Found a body with multiple stab wounds that's been sitting in the house for quite a while."

"So what the hell do you want me to do about it?" Hank asked bluntly. "Check it out? Haven't you already asked too much of me by dumping the fucking android on my lap? Don't tell me the precinct is that understaffed that you're asking me to take time off from . . ."

Speaking of the damn pain in his ass at the moment; Connor poked his head out from the corner and tilted his head to the side. "Is that Captain Fowler?"

Hank made a waving gesture that told Connor to go away. He didn't listen.

"Reed had taken care of the first ever deviant case last month and he's refused to do anymore since. I even threatened the asshole with disciplinaries but he won't give in. Chen and Miller are out at the crime scene as we speak. I've got Wilson on it but it wouldn't exactly hurt to get another set of eyes there. I know how fucked the timing is right now, trust me, I'm not asking this of you because I get a kick out of it." It sure didn't seem that way to Hank. Right now, it looked like Fowler was quite content to pile more and more shit onto him, despite the fact that he's not supposed to be working at all.

"Did the captain ask us to check out a crime scene?" Connor asked, quickly jumping into the chair across from Hank. How good was this kid's intuition?

"Shut up Connor," He said, slightly muffling his phone with his hand. "there is no 'us' in this. He's asking me to check out a crime scene."

Connor's fingers tapped the table in the most synchronized and incessant fashion Hank had ever seen. It almost looked like he was playing some symphony on an invisible piano. So the android had tics too. That was something Hank didn't think androids would bother getting equipped with. Was Cyberlife so concerned about getting out of the uncanny valley that they programmed the androids with nervous tics? Unless this was just Kamski's doing when he created Connor. "Lieutenant, you have to go! A crime has been committed. Maybe I can go with you, I can help you-"

"Don't tell me what to do asshole, I'm not taking you anywhere." Hank glared at the android. This was getting ridiculous. Once again, he's being double-teamed by Fowler and Connor to do something he didn't want to do.

"But there's been a body found-"

"Hold on, were you eavesdropping?" Hank was partially annoyed and surprised at the same time. How the hell did the android do that from such a far distance? How sensitive was his hearing?

Jeffery brought Hank back to his phone when he asked, "Connor's there? You think there's any chance he could lend a hand on the case?"

"Of course!" Connor replied.

It was as though Hank wasn't even there. He rolled his eyes. "First of all, for all intents and purposes, he's still a kid. Second of all, he doesn't work for the DPD. Who's going to take responsibility if he fucks something up?"

"I'll take responsibility for it." Jeffery insisted. At this point, it looked like the man would say just about anything for Hank to get his ass to that crime scene. "So you'll go?"

With Jeffery by his ear and Connor right in front of him, giving him a hopeful look, Hank found himself grumbling; "Give me the address."

—

They arrived at a shabby looking house that seemed to be only a few years away from collapsing in on itself. Connor noticed that the police officers that Captain Fowler had mentioned were already standing outside the perimeters, talking to one another. No one seemed to care that they were standing under a light drizzle though he knew for a fact that humans typically consider this type of weather to be quite cold. He was about to exit the car when the lieutenant stopped him with a hand to the shoulder.

"Hold on kid, we need to cover some ground rules before you mosey on in there." Lieutenant Anderson said gruffly.

Connor slid back into his seat and gave the man his full attention. If he displayed a willingness to cooperate, then the lieutenant would more likely accept his help wherever it may be needed. "Of course, lieutenant. What rules do you have in mind?"

"First of all, I want you to be in my field of vision at all times, got it?" He began. "No wandering around the crime scene. Second of all, don't go touching anything. Can't have you contaminating the crime scene or leaving fingerprints on the stuff there."

Connor looked down at his fingers, then back up to the lieutenant. "But lieutenant, I don't have any fingerprints."

Lieutenant Anderson gave him a look. "Still, don't touch anything ok? You're there to observe and document anything important. And lastly, just don't be . . . weird ok?"

Connor cocked his head to the side. He waited for an elaboration but there was none. He wasn't quite sure what the last rule really meant but figured it was just a warning to be socially conscious and polite at all times. Eventually, he found himself nodding. All of the instructions he'd been given seemed reasonable enough. "Ok lieutenant. I've got it."

Sighing, Lieutenant Anderson opened the door of his car and exited. Connor followed suit. As they approached the crime scene, he could see that there were many people staring at them. Several bystanders from across the street whispered to one another. The fence to the front of the house was efficiently covered with bright yellow barricade holograms which warned others not to cross the threshold. The lieutenant had showed a police officer by the fence his badge and was allowed entrance. Connor tried to go through as well but was prevented from doing so.

"Stand back." The police officer said.

Lieutenant Anderson turned around just then and said, "Let him through. He's with me."

The police officer looked perturbed at the statement. "Lieutenant, this is a crime scene. A YK500 has no business going-"

The lieutenant pinched the bridge of his nose. Then he pointed to Connor. "Yeah, I know that, dipshit. I'm not just dragging the kid to a murder scene for the hell of it. It's here to help analyze everything inside."

Reluctantly, Connor was allowed to go through though the officer never lost his confused expression. When they got to the porch, they were greeted by another man. The man had introduced himself to Connor as Ronny Wilson. He was a forensics analyst who'd been called to the scene. Against Connor's expectations, the man didn't appeared to be bothered by the fact that Connor looked like a child. A moment of pleasantries and he went straight to business.

He quickly briefed them on the victim's name and how the body had been found. The second they stepped through the door, Lieutenant Anderson brought his arm up to cover his nose. "Holy shit, it stinks in here!"

Connor couldn't smell exactly what had the humans grimacing so much about, though his sensors did catch a lot of decaying particles in the air.

"And this is after we've left the windows opened for half an hour already. You don't even want to know what it was like when we first came in." One of the forensics worker in a hazmat suit said sardonically through their mask.

He briefly eyed the message written in perfect print by the victim's blood. I AM ALIVE. Taking a closer look at the human blood, there were also tiny red crystal particles within the dried substance that didn't usually belong in the heathy human body. He wasn't sure what it was. There was also some red dust on the floor by the victim.

"Fucking Red Ice." Lieutenant Anderson muttered. He glared at the substance with a great deal of hatred.

"Red Ice?" Connor echoed.

"That red stuff over there?" The lieutenant pointed downward. "It's a type of narcotics that gets people high."

He wasn't sure what getting high meant but it was probably along the lines of getting drunk. Something that altered ones sense of reality.

Connor eyed the man, identified as Carlos Ortiz. Immediately, he was able to count twenty-eight stab wounds. The dead man was sitting in a dry pool of his own blood. It was the substance next to it that got Connor curious. Thirium. It belonged to the android that went deviant. From what he overheard, they haven't been able to identify the android that Ortiz owned. He may have obtained it through less than legitimate means and so it was difficult to narrow it down to the specific serial number of the android. Maybe if he analyzed it, he could figure out the identity of the deviant.

Connor took a quick glance at Lieutenant Anderson to see that he had his attention on the kitchen. Though he'd been told not to touch anything, Connor was confident that him choosing action over inaction would truly yield better results for the case in the end. Using two fingers, he swiped the blue blood and stuck it in his mouth.

"Jesus, what the hell are you doing?! I thought I told you not to touch anything." Lieutenant Anderson sounded distressed when he walked back to Connor.

An image of the deviant popped up. Connor was able to see its its exact model and identity. Moving it over for a moment to look at the lieutenant, he realized that he should have warned the man ahead of time what he'd planned to do. "Sorry, lieutenant. It's just, I can process substances in real time. I've found out the serial number of the deviant that you've been looking for."

The lieutenant still had a disgusted look on his face but he did motion for a worker to write down the number on their pad. When the worker left to cover other areas of the house, Lieutenant Anderson stared Connor down. He seemed to have gotten over his aversion to Connor a little bit. "Ok, so you're like a walking forensics lab. Does that mean you can also reconstruct the crime like an RK800 could?"

Connor thought about it. This was different from reconstructing the presence of someone he knew well. The chances of him succeeding were uncertain when he had to factor in the interactions of strangers whom he just found out existed tonight. He'd never tried it before but he imagined that if he was equipped with the tools necessary for substance analysis, then it would also be possible for him to do more in the field. After all, Kamski did create him with the programming to achieve anything he desired. "I'm not sure, lieutenant." He said. "But I can try."

"Here's hoping you don't fuck it up as bad as your cooking." The lieutenant muttered, shooing him away. Despite the comment, Connor took his response as a positive one. Lieutenant Anderson was trusting him to reconstruct what had happened between Ortiz and the deviant. He wouldn't let him down.

The array of fallen furniture in the kitchen along with the murder weapon helped Connor understand what had happened. Once he had picked up enough clues, connected enough dots, there was the option for him to reconstruct the confrontation. Connor's elation contrasted to the violent phantom fight before him. He immediately went to the lieutenant after the sequence had completed.

"Lieutenant Anderson, I was able to reconstruct the murder!" Connor chirped. That got him a couple of odd looks from the other people working around them but he paid them no mind. All he cared about was what the lieutenant had to say.

The lieutenant rolled his eyes and nodded. "Ok, let's hear it. What happened?"

Connor spun around to look at the mess before him and pointed excitedly at the kitchen door. "So, we start with the kitchen door where the HK400 walked through. The victim, most likely under the influence of Red Ice, attacked the android with a bat. He sent it into a state of shock where it went for a knife to defend itself. The great number of stabs was probably due to it lashing out in a fit of rage as well. The victim tried to drag himself away from the android and thus bled out in the living room instead of the kitchen."

Connor listened to the lieutenant hum a neutral tone. "Not bad kid. I guess you're not as much of a liability as I thought."

"I try not to be." He didn't know when it had begun, but the corners of his mouth had started to pull upwards just a bit. Was he smiling? It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, Connor remembered doing it a handful of times before. But his face felt strange, having contorted in a way it hadn't done in quite some time.

Lieutenant Anderson caught his expression and promptly scoffed. "Well don't let it get to your head just yet, we've still got work to do."

Right. There was still more work to be done. They looked at the back door together where there was nothing but a big pile of mud leading to the edges of the house. "You think the deviant could have ran from this way?"

Connor scanned the footprints in the mud. All of the footprints in it were recent. All of them could be traced back to either the police officers or the forensic workers on the scene. He shook his head. "The deviant didn't go this way. This mud would have held its footprint. For the last two weeks, it hadn't been disturbed. These footprints all belong to law enforcement workers."

"Damn." Lieutenant Anderson hissed. "Well there goes that idea."

Heading back inside, Connor noticed that the man had been quite agreeable to the evidence he'd displayed. He had initially believed that the lieutenant would be less trusting of him and would at least cross reference the data with a few more people. Though it would have been unnecessary since everything Connor said was correct and verifiable. Still, he thought it was nice to almost be treated as though he were another investigator on the scene.

Next stop was the bathroom. Connor was not one to be easily disturbed, but something about the candles and the shrine in the shower had him feeling a little irked. Though it didn't seem like this place would be any less unsettling in the daytime.

"What, are you scared?" The lieutenant snorted.

Connor had to shove his reluctance down and charge into the bathroom. "Of course not, lieutenant."

"Don't worry Connor, I'll be right here with you." Lieutenant Anderson said mockingly, though his tone wasn't mean like Reed.

He didn't bother responding to the man's amusement and crouched down to analyze the statue at the center of the shrine. It had a nondescript shape to it but the closest thing it seemed to resemble was the figure of a person. It was made of clay and had a weight to it. Around the statue were some dry flowers. On the tiles of the shower, 'rA9' was written dozens of time in frantic handwriting, unlike the clean cut font of the saying 'I AM ALIVE.'

"Don't tell me androids are staring to believe in God now." The lieutenant said.

"I'm not really sure what any of this is other than that it's an offering." Connor noted. An offering to what, he could only guess at. Could the android really be trying to contact a god? The items would be taken for evidence and pictures would be taken of the writings, both in the bathroom and the living room.

As Connor exited the bathroom, his vision went deep blue for a second, and the outlines of everything became white. It was as though the colors of the natural world had been plunged into an inverted version of itself. Even his hearing dimmed a bit. Small, nearly insignificant traces of thirium could be seen. It flowed white in his vision. Unlike the pool of coagulated blue blood by the body of the victim, these little splatters had long dried and become invisible to the human eye. But Connor was no human. His eyes quickly roamed along the trail it made, leading up to what might be an attic.

He blinked out of that strange view-mode and tilted his head to the side in confusion. That was the first time it had ever happened to him, and he hadn't done it on purpose either. Was that a new skill he'd somehow unlocked?

"You alright there?" The lieutenant asked.

Connor blinked a few times. "Yes lieutenant. It was nothing."

Remembering the trail to the attic, Connor went to the kitchen to grab an overturned chair. Despite Lieutenant Anderson's gripes about him moving shit around that he wasn't supposed to, he comforted himself with the knowledge that what they might find in the attic would probably be worth the disturbance. After he opened the paneled door and peered into the darkness of the attic, there was an eerie stillness here that he found to be a little too unnatural for his liking. Connor lifted himself up fully and took a tentative step deeper into the attic. There was a lot of strange things up here. Lots of old, dusty furniture. Some were covered with large white pieces of cloth, others were left to decay openly. Oddly enough, there were even some mannequins up here.

A large crashing noise startled Connor. It came from the back of the attic. Though he knew he should tell the lieutenant first, his legs carried himself forward. Taking several strides toward the darkness, a red LED circle came into view. He froze. This was the deviant.

It looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, don't tell them about me."

"Connor, what the fuck is going on up there?" The lieutenant yelled from below.

Connor didn't reply immediately. He just looked at the deviant for a bit. It didn't look like it was happy with the way things turned out. But it didn't exactly look remorseful for the murder it committed either. That point seemed to get him talking. "The deviant is up here lieutenant!" He called out.

"Holy shit." Though he couldn't see his face, Connor believed that Lieutenant Anderson likely looked shocked. He went to call for some more police officers to help apprehend the deviant.

It didn't get angry at Connor or try to attack him. It just looked . . . disappointed. Its face fell and its body sagged in resignation. Funny how much it resembled the elderly grave robber even though it was an android.

+++++++++++End of Part IV ++++++++++++

* * *

 _Hello everyone! As always, I hope you liked this chapter and leave a comment about your thoughts if you did or didn't. Why is Sumo a pupper here? Because. I have read comments from a few people on here and on AO3 (where I also posted this story, just under a different name) about their interest in Kara and Markus' storylines. As of now, I only plan to see Connor's POV through to the very end. He's already made quite a distance in it and I didn't want to just shoehorn in the other POV's because the way I see it, Kara and Markus also deserve a beginning-to-end treatment. Life's got me juggling college and work so I don't think I've got enough time or energy in the day, week, or month to balance three storylines at once when I can barely keep one on my intended schedule. If I ever finish Connor's story, and this is an 'if' because I am super bad at following through with stories, then I will either try to give the others a go or just write snippets of moments I think are most crucial to their development and growth as characters. Though I suppose nearly all moments could be included in that case. Anyways, this isn't a dilemma that I'll even attempt to resolve anytime soon, but if you have any suggestions, I'm open to 'em. See you all in another two weeks!_


	5. Chapter 5

Oh great. Another late night spent at the precinct over a case that wasn't his to begin with. Fan-fucking-tastic. Hank lost count of how many cups of coffee he's had already. After half an hour of unsuccessful interrogation, he stormed out of the interrogation room and back to where Fowler, Reed, and Connor were. "This isn't fucking working. The damn thing's not going to crack."

"What if we rough it up a little bit? Maybe that'll get it to talk." Gavin chuckled darkly.

Sitting right by the two-way mirror, Connor shook his head. "That wouldn't be productive. The android feels no pain. You'd only damage it."

If there's one thing Gavin Reed didn't like, it's being told what to do. Hank rolled his eyes as the thirty-six year old man began to pick a fight with a . . . a what, ten year old? "Well we're kind of fresh out of ideas here, dipshit. But if you've got any suggestions, by all means."

The LED by Connor's temple went yellow for a few seconds then back to blue. "I could interrogate it."

Gavin burst out laughing. Hank wanted to punch him in the mouth. Jeffery looked slightly uncomfortable with that idea. At least the man had the decency to let the kid down gently. "Look Connor, I know you want to help. But I don't know if that's such a good idea. It probably sounds like broken record by now but it just wouldn't look good for the DPD if you went in there on record and interrogated the deviant."

Connor looked down at his body with a frown. He seemed annoyed by his appearance. It couldn't be helped. Hank had no idea if it was possible for Connor to upload himself into an adult body, (it sure as hell would have saved Hank a lot of trouble and headache) but as of now, there wasn't much they could do about that. He watched the kid eye the deviant intently, looking at something specifically that no human could see. Then he turned to Hank. "What if you go back there and interrogate it again, but this time, I'll tell you what to say."

That was an interesting idea. It was the middle of the night and everyone, save for the androids, were dead tired. Hank would take any idea coming his way.

"What do you know about interrogating deviants?" Reed sneered.

"At this point, just as much as you do." Connor said sharply. "Which isn't very much."

Hank snorted at the android's bite. He was holding his ground pretty well against that asshole. Before Gavin could retaliate, Connor continued speaking. "However, what I am capable of is seeing the deviant's exact stress level. So far, it has stayed at a stable 35%. We haven't been asking the right questions or pressuring it enough."

Hank shared a look with Jeffery. The captain nodded. "Alright then. Reed, go get an earpiece for Hank. We'll try this Connor's way."

"You can't be serious." Reed protested, glaring at all three of them.

"It's late as shit Reed," Hank groused, dragging his hands down his face. "Fucking get on with it if you want to get home before the sun rises."

That seemed to get the man going, though he seemed no less angry to take up the task. When he came back and Hank was set up properly, he gave one last look to Connor. He seemed confident enough that his plan would succeed. Connor met his glance and gave Hank a small smile. Rolling his eyes, Hank went back to the interrogation room, letting Connor take full control of the conversation.

"Lieutenant, tell it that it had committed murder against a human. Ask it if it knows the severity of its actions." Connor began.

Hank did as he was told. No reaction.

"TWENTY-EIGHT STAB WOUNDS." His shout nearly had Hank jumping in his seat. The fuck was Connor thinking, yelling like that. It wasn't like he was deaf. "If you could recreate that outburst, that would be most helpful Lieutenant."

Oh. He repeated Connor's words with just as much ferocity, slamming his hand on the table for good measure and that got the deviant to fidget in his seat. Eventually, Connor didn't have to prompt Hank to talk anymore, he just began to copy the android's words verbatim as soon as they left the android's mouth. They were able to find a good rhythm for a while.

"Cyberlife is going to break you down piece by piece until it can find out the reason for your deviancy." Hank said smoothly.

At this point, the HK400 was now scratching its arm as though looking for something to do to distract itself. Hank could hear Connor take in a breath he didn't need through the earpiece. "Ok Lieutenant. Warn the deviant that if it doesn't start confessing to its crimes that you'll send me in and I'll have to probe its memory. I'm not exactly sure if I can actually do that but the threat should suffice as it is."

That was the thing that got the deviant talking. "No, anything but that! Please."

Hank assessed the android. It was finally willing to talk. This was familiar grounds for him. Now all he had to do was go through the routine questions. And hopefully weasel out a real, solid confession from it.

"I'll leave the rest to you Lieutenant. Just keep in mind that the deviant's stress level is currently at 80%. I suggest you calm it down first and refrain from saying anything that would cause it stress any further. The last thing we'd want is for it to self-destruct." Connor informed him. Hank gave the two-way mirror a subtle glance and nod. He could take it from here.

Turns out, this was just a scenario of an asshole human getting what they deserved. The HK400 has been abused for months before it actually snapped. Getting beaten up and burned by cigarettes wasn't enough. But the assault with the baseball bat had been the trigger. It had killed Ortiz and enjoyed it. The way the deviant spat out the word 'unfair' did something to Hank. It was unfair. But was it? Androids didn't have rights. They were property to humans. But the one sitting in front of him has never looked more human itself. Hank buried his confusion for the time being. He needed to wrap everything up. The whole thing about 'rA9' was still vague as ever. The HK400 didn't say exactly what it was but it had made it out to be as though some kind of android-Jesus was on the rise. Hank didn't know what to do with that information.

When Miller tried to escort it to a holding cell, the deviant jumped back violently and fell off its chair. "D-Don't touch me!"

"Oh for fuck's sake, grab the thing." Reed said impatiently as he stormed into the interrogation room.

Connor made an appearance now, intervening between Miller and the deviant. "Don't crowd it, it's not going to run."

Gavin was not in the mood for shit. "Move over you plastic prick and let Miller do his damn job."

"You don't need to touch it. It can get up by itself just fine." Connor protested.

The situation went from 10 to 100 in a matter of seconds as soon as Reed pulled his gun on Connor. Miller looked like a deer caught in headlights. The deviant was still on the floor, peering at Connor's back as though the YK was his lifeline. "I said move."

Hank pulled his gun out on Gavin; he needed to put a stop to this. "That's enough."

He watched Gavin grit his teeth but hadn't made a move to lower his gun. His anger switched from Connor to Hank. "Yeah, you would take that prick's side."

They glared at one another for about ten more seconds before Reed finally relented. Cursing viciously, the detective left the interrogation room as quickly as he had entered it. With him out of the way, Miller actually looked to Connor for further instructions. The android looked up at the man, his face full of authority that Hank hadn't though could be present on the face of a child. "You can lead it to the cells. It won't try to run, I promise you."

He was uneasy about not holding onto the deviant on his way out, but Miller managed to do as he was told. As the HK400 passed Connor, it whispered something to him that Hank couldn't quite catch. Whatever was said didn't change Connor's facial expression but it must have left him with something to think about since his eyes had a faraway look in them now. After the interrogation was over, they were allowed to go home. Thank fuck for that. Hank felt as though he was going to drop dead at any moment. He was getting too old for this shit. Just as he was about to leave with Connor, Jeffery signaled him to come over for a second and so he left the android at his cubicle and followed the captain to his office.

Jeffery was standing as well which meant this was going to be brief. Hank watched his longtime friend pace around a bit before he actually started talking. "What Connor did in there today was a great help to us."

Hank shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"You should have seen him, Hank." The captain went on. "He was constantly watching the deviant's reactions, adjusting his responses according to the stress level of the android. It was brilliant. I don't know why Kamski just let Connor go like that but if we could somehow get him instated as a freelance consultant for the DPD, then he can actually help on the record."

"So you just plan on using him until . . . when? Until he gets tired of playing investigation? Until you've run out of uses for him? No offense Jeffery, but that doesn't exactly sit right with me." The weird part was, Hank didn't know why it felt so off to him.

Jeffery held his hands up as though to quell Hank. "I'm not forcing him to do anything. If he doesn't want to then I can't do anything about that. But Connor's already admitted that he's interested in police work and dozens of deviant cases are landing on my desk every day. Would you at least bring this up to him? I'll find a way to get him instated as an official worker if he agrees."

Hank must still have a stoic face on because Jeffery added, "Come on Hank. You know that he's not actually a kid. He's got all the functions and capabilities of an RK, he's just stuck in the YK model. What's the harm in bringing him in on the deviant cases?"

Logically, Hank understood the arguments the DPD captain was making. He could tell that the whole deviancy among androids has gotten the DPD in a lot of stress. It would help a lot if Connor was on these cases. But it also felt a little manipulative, using the kid's earnest interests as a hook to get him to do the dirty work for them. If Connor agreed, would they even pay him? Then, the question he'd been ignoring all along was becoming more apparent the longer he thought about it.

Why does he care? He shouldn't actually give a damn what happens to Connor but here he is, not taking Fowler's proposal in stride. Hank realized that he was just making everything more complicated for himself. Connor was a damn android who has stated time and time again that he could take care of himself. And it's not like Hank had any reason to be invested in what was best for him. Connor wasn't his son . . . and he'll never be his son. This was just a flimsy sense of protectiveness that was resurfacing in Hank because he was projecting onto a pile of plastic that reminded him of Cole. He needed to nip that type of thinking in the bud before it became something dangerous.

"You're right." Hank acquiesced. "God knows you're going to need more help around here. I'm going to run this by him tomorrow and I'll get back to you on that."

"Thank you Hank." Jeffery seemed genuinely grateful.

Hank made for the door but was stopped by Fowler's words. "Another thing. I mean it's all well and good if Connor agrees to come onto the deviant cases but he also needs a partner."

Hank slowly turned to the captain. "If you're going to tell me that I'm the only fucking human in this whole department who can work with him, then you're a bigger asshole than I thought."

Jeffery sighed and threw his hands up. "You saw Gavin's reaction to Connor. So far, everyone's been pretty wary or annoyed by his presence. They don't understand him. I can't risk any hindrances on this. By tomorrow, this will be considered a full blown investigation, not just a bunch of isolated cases. Whoever's going to be by Connor's side has to see this through to the very end; find commonalities, come up with leads, get around the city. And I currently can't see anyone else fitting that role except you."

Hank scoffed. "Right, because I've suddenly become the android expert by having one bum out at my house for a couple days. I can barely change the settings on my phone. Jeffery, why are you doing this to me? I keep getting the shit end of the stick from you and I can't seem to do a goddamn thing about it."

Now Hank was the one pacing the floor. Why couldn't he just go back to his house with no one but Sumo for company and drink until he's fucked? Why does he have to get pulled into something as big as an android epidemic? But on the other hand, there was a part of him that found this whole thing as an opportunity. It was an opportunity to stop crying or drinking himself to sleep at night. It could be used as a distraction to not think about how he'd basically killed his son only a month ago. If he had to work with Connor, then he'll begin to see the android as just another coworker. They'll be no more thoughts of Connor being anything else. Just his partner. That would knock quite a few birds with one stone. This is of course, assuming the android said yes to the whole thing.

"Don't think for one second I'm doing this for convenience. If I had it my way, I'd pair Reed up with some sorry bastard and send them on the deviant trail. As it is, no one's willing to come close to touching even the most benign cases on deviants." Jeffery sagged into his chair, looking every bit his age if not older. "I haven't told you this yet but while you've been gone these past few days, tensions have been high in the department. Even androids who have been with us for years are starting to get looked at with suspicion from everyone else. The DPD is fracturing right down the middle and I'm doing all that I can to keep this shit together. I thought about sending Cyberlife a request to give us their state of the art RK but then Connor showed up and here we are."

With his agendas pushed aside for a second, Hank began to actually feel bad for his friend. Tensions between androids and humans were nothing new. It's always been there, sparking from the moment they took jobs away from humans. Now, they wanted more. And up against people who shared the same attitude as Gavin, it wouldn't be long before some kind of war broke out. Once again, Hank really couldn't believe what kind of deep shit he's found himself in. He sighed. "You know you're going to owe me a huge fucking favor for this right?"

"That's to be expected." Jeffery grinned tiredly. "Within reason."

"After what you've been putting me through and what you will put me through, I'd say even unreasonable demands should still be on the table." Hank crossed his arms. Maybe when this was all over he should ask for a year-long vacation with pay. Jeffery would be hard pressed to deny him that.

The DPD captain shooed him away. "Go get some sleep Hank. Show up tomorrow whenever you can."

Damn right he's going to show up whenever he wanted. And Hank had the feeling that he'll be heading in late tomorrow. Definitely past noon to say the least.

—

Connor was spinning back and forth in the chair when he caught sight of the lieutenant approaching him. "I thought you said it'd be a short conversation."

"It was." The lieutenant replied.

Connor tilted his head to the side. "Your discussion with Captain Fowler lasted 36.2 minutes. That doesn't seem pretty short to me."

Lieutenant Anderson lifted him off the chair and placed him back down on the floor. "That's enough from you smartass. Come on. We're going home. I'm fucking tired as hell."

Connor followed him out of the precinct and to the car. Though his energy reserves were getting low, it was still at an admirable 22%. For the past few weeks, he'd been trying to match his 'sleeping' pattern to that of the lieutenant's. The man only ever got up at around noon. It'd be a waste to spend most of the morning doing nothing. Interesting things occurred more frequently at night, so he made sure that there was no way for him to involuntarily shut down in the middle of something important. The deviant case at the house of Carlos Ortiz proved that correlation well enough.

On the ride back to Lieutenant Anderson's house, Connor wondered at the effects of his involvement. Surely the captain could see that he was of use to the police. He wanted to get asked to handle more cases. The more he did, the higher chance there was that his contributions could form as a safety net beneath him, preventing him from being quite literally abandoned. He felt the formation of a solid path before him now. Freedom had made such a mess of him. This goal to do as much as he can for the DPD, was slowly diminishing his confusion. If he was assigned to capture deviants, then that was what he'd do. And he'd do it without complaint.

No matter what odd time in the middle of the night they arrived back to the house, Sumo would always be by the door, greeting them dutifully. Connor petted him on the head. "Hello Sumo." He returned the greeting.

"I'm going to hit the hay." The lieutenant's words were slurring with his lack of sleep. "Got something to tell you tomorrow. Remind me, yeah?"

Something to tell him? Connor already felt impatient to find out what it was but he reigned his curiosity. It wouldn't do to have the lieutenant be irritable at him. "Of course. Good night lieutenant."

Lieutenant Anderson grumbled a reply before disappearing into his room. Connor took a seat at the couch while Sumo whined by his ankle. Devoted as the puppy was, it was clear that their arrival home had taken Sumo out of his slumber. Connor picked him up and brought him close to his face. "Sorry for disturbing your sleep Sumo."

Sumo licked his nose. It seemed as though Connor had been forgiven. Together, the two of them fell asleep just as the night sky gave way to a dark cerulean.

The next time Connor woke up, the sun was streaming into the kitchen windows freely behind him. Sumo had disappeared somewhere else, the spot where he'd fallen asleep hours before had grown cold at Connor's side. Taking a glance at the clock, it read 12:10 in the afternoon. In other words, it was quite late into the day already. He fidgeted in his seat for a few minutes. How long would it be before the lieutenant woke up? Connor didn't want to be a bother but the second he woke up, he'd been reminded of the 'something' the lieutenant was going to tell him.

Just as he was about to go check on the lieutenant, the man walked out of his room and yawned a loud yawn. Connor immediately stood up and made his way over. "Lieutenant, you said you wanted to tell me som-"

"Argh, down boy." Lieutenant Anderson muttered, clearly not fully awake yet. "I just woke up. Give me a minute before you jump my ass will you?"

Connor blinked. He hadn't meant to come off so hasty. He was going to apologize but the lieutenant already slammed the door to the bathroom in his face. Back to waiting it was. He decided to wait by the kitchen table for the lieutenant. To rectify his mistake from before, he waited for the man to bring up whatever he wanted to on his own. It wouldn't be productive in the least to try to satiate his curiosity as soon as possible.

It was as though the lieutenant was intentionally moving at a slower pace. Everything he did, he took his time with. It shouldn't have been possible but it looked like the bacon was even taking longer to cook than usual. That was something which Connor had a difficult time tolerating. Before he knew it, his fingers reached for the coin in his pocket and began to throw it back and forth. His reflexes had not gotten worse in any way but it never hurt to check; and preoccupy his mind.

"Jesus Christ kid, you're going to put a hole through my ceiling like that." The lieutenant exclaimed when he noticed Connor bouncing the coin against the ceiling.

He ceased his movements. "Sorry lieutenant."

"Well, I guess I have tortured you enough already." Lieutenant Anderson rolled his eyes. He broke off a piece of bacon to give to Sumo, who somehow appeared out of nowhere. "Fowler has called me into the office yesterday to talk to me about you."

They were talking about him all along? Connor felt uneasy. This could only go two ways: either his help was appreciated or it wasn't. Such a small distinction but it made all the difference. He nodded. "And?"

The lieutenant sighed. That didn't seem like a good sign. "He was pretty fucking impressed with you. He's even considering hiring you as a freelance consultant on the investigation on deviants."

Connor jumped at the chance. "Of course! I would love to be useful to the DPD in any way possible."

The lieutenant made a face. Had that been the wrong thing to say? As quickly as the expression came, it went. "Fine. We'll go to the precinct today and you can tell him yourself. Just so you know, he's probably had to jump through several loops to get you instated. You know, since you look like a damn middle schooler."

Again, Connor was reminded of the inconvenience of his physical form. He wished it didn't have to be this way. No matter what he did, it'll always be more difficult for people to take him seriously. There was no doubt in his mind that people were going to continuously mistake him for a YK500, just like the officer standing outside of the crime scene the night before. Though he supposed that was the least of his worries. Connor bartered with himself. He'd sooner get the job and have to clarify his position a hundred times a day than not have the job at all. He needed to do this. Any hardship that came his way would only pale in comparison to the thought of being lost and wandering. Just the thought nearly had him shivering.

"Can't you just download yourself into an adult model?" Lieutenant Anderson asked, in the middle of shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

Connor shook his head. "It's not that simple. I'm not an ordinary android whose memory could be transferred from body to body. I was designed by Kamski, not Cyberlife, and so many internal parts and bioconponents that I have are incompatible with theirs. He's made many changes to his initial blueprints. So much so that if I were to malfunction in any way, I would have to go back to him to get fixed. There wouldn't be anything Cyberlife could do."

"Ugh, if that's the case then I hope you don't do anything stupid; like run straight toward an armed man again. I'd hate to have to drag your sorry ass back to Kamski in the event you get yourself shot." The lieutenant rolled his eyes and Connor felt himself smiling again. He wasn't exactly sure why he did it, but he didn't stop the corners of his mouth from going upwards.

Something that Connor had quickly picked up about Lieutenant Anderson was that he often came off as a tough and easily annoyed man but his words hardly ever possessed the bite he means for it to have. It was more like his gruff tone of voice was out of habit even if he felt otherwise. Humans could be contradictory that way. But he supposed if they were all as straightforward as the androids were, they wouldn't be human.

Once the lieutenant had finished eating, Connor offered to wash the dishes. If he can't cook then cleaning up after the man was the next best thing. When they stood next to each other by the sink, Lieutenant Anderson gave him a long look. Connor briefly turned away from the soapy sponge to meet his eyes. "Yes, lieutenant?"

A hand hovered over the top of his head and the lieutenant eventually dragged the hand back to himself. "Ok, am I going crazy or did you get taller?"

That was an odd question which Connor wasn't expecting. But as soon as the inquiry was out there, he did a diagnostic check on himself. After it was done, a box popped up in his view. It stated that his field of vision had shifted vertically by 17%. What did that mean? Did Connor actually grow taller or was it something else? He may be different from the average android but even he didn't think it was possible for him to grow in any physical capacity. His clothes still fit him. Nothing felt too out of place. "I . . . I don't know. Do I look taller, lieutenant?"

"I don't fucking know. I think you do. You were like around here since I first met you." Lieutenant Anderson held his hand by Connor's temple. "And somehow, overnight, you went up to here." The hand now went to the top of his head.

"Well, a diagnostic test showed that my line of sight has been elevated by 17%." Connor confessed.

The lieutenant was now watching him through squinted eyes, as though he was having a hard time staying credulous. "Is that another quirk of being Kamski's custom bot? You can grow up like an actual human being?"

He didn't have any answer for that question. The details about what separated him from a Cyberlife android were never explicitly laid out for him by Kamski. What he does know about himself was discovered upon his twelve years of being in the mansion and sharing a communal knowledge source from Markus and Kara's past experiences. The thought of his siblings again made something within Connor squeeze uncomfortably.

Lieutenant Anderson must have seen something on Connor's face because he brushed off his own question. "Forget it, I wouldn't be able to understand your techno-babble anyways. Finish up here and we'll leave in ten minutes."

For someone who seemed so decidedly against androids, the lieutenant was actually pretty considerate to Connor. For that, he was immensely grateful. As he scrubbed away the leftover food on the dish, he thought about Markus and Kara. It's been a very long time since he'd seen them. So long that he wondered if he'd ever get the opportunity to do so again. The last few weeks have been so full of change and instability that he hadn't been able to think about anything else but his own well-being. Now that he was in a relatively ok situation, he had the luxury to spare some time to them. Once he could get some free time between the cases assigned to him at the DPD, Connor resolved to search for his siblings. Markus, he would be easy to find. Connor hadn't forgotten who he was sent to, Carl Manfred. Kara would be more difficult to find. But surely once he meets Markus, maybe his brother will know where she is. If not, they could search for her together. Assuming he still held some affection for Connor and wasn't keen on leaving his years in the mansion behind him. The fact that he never visited after he left them wasn't an encouraging sign though.

By now, the dishes were so clean, he could clearly see his face on it.

"Connor, you done yet?" Lieutenant Anderson called. He was already at the front door, putting his shoes on.

Connor quickly dried his hands and put the plate away. "Coming, lieutenant!"

When they arrived at the police station, the first person Connor noticed was Officer Chen. She looked distressed as she eyed the section of the holding cells. Though he couldn't be seen, Connor could hear Reed shouting all sorts of expletives in that area. He shared a quick look with the lieutenant and they both walked to the cell which held the deviant from last night.

Upon arrival, they were greeted with the body of the deviant, faced down. The transparent wall of the cell was splattered with blue blood. It had self-destructed.

"The fuck did you do, Reed?" Lieutenant Anderson demanded. "Do you know how hard it was for us to get it to not kill itself?"

"Get off my ass Anderson, it wasn't me." Reed glared at both of them. "It was already like this by the time I came over."

Connor scanned the android, trying to see if he could retrieve any more information from it. Nothing but the general information popped up. From how much damage it inflicted into itself, it seemed like its memory chip was likely damaged beyond repair. It had bashed its head against the wall until it deactivated. Something about the sight caught his interest. It seemed like Cyberlife androids were not that different from him if they now were acting on their free will just like he was.

Some people were called over to remove the body and eventually, Connor followed the lieutenant to the captain's office. There were more files on Captain Fowler's desk than usual. The man always looked like he was in a constant state of stress but he seemed even more frayed today. It must have been because the deviant self-deactivated.

"Please tell me you're here to help the DPD out of the shithole it's currently in." The captain implored, actually taking a seat on the corner of his desk rather than in his chair.

Connor nodded. "I would like to help in any way I am able."

"Good." That response seemed to snap the man into action. He threw something Connor's way. It was an ID of sorts with his name on it. The card was attached to a lanyard which he assumed was the marker to let him be present at crime scenes no matter how he appeared. Connor slipped around his neck without complaint.

Captain Fowler went behind his desk and sectioned off a certain pile of folders. That pile was handed to Connor and the lieutenant. It was quite the sizable amount between the two of them. "These are all of the supposed leads we've got so far on the deviancy investigation. Most of them seem pretty minor but we shouldn't leave any stone unturned."

Lieutenant Anderson grumbled, staring down the pile of folders he was holding. "Oh, is this all Jeffery? Jeez, you really had me going there for a second."

"But lieutenant, all of this seems like quite a lot of leads to me." Connor piped up.

"I was being sarcastic, dipshit." The lieutenant replied, exasperated.

"Oh."

"I suggest you two take a look at the lead on an AX400 going deviant first. I mean, it's just speculated that it's an AX400 model, we're not sure. It killed its owner and made off with a YK500. The body is still pretty fresh; the murder happened just last night. They were last seen robbing a corner store. Who knows, they might still be in the area." Captain Fowler informed them, walking over to tap the top folder that Connor was holding.

The lieutenant gave the man a casual salute before making his way out of the office. Connor was about to leave when he felt the need to say, "I won't let you down Captain Fowler!"

The captain merely snorted, though his eyes revealed amusement by Connor's words. "Close the door on your way out."

All of the files were left on Lieutenant Anderson's desk except the one on the YK500 and the 'AX400.' Today was yet another day on the road. The thought excited Connor. At least they weren't stuck in the precinct, going over monotonous reports. They were tracking down a lead. On the way to the area where the androids were last seen, Connor studied the file. There were two pictures and a brief description of each android. The YK500 was named Alice and had been in possession of Todd Williams for nearly a year. The android had a perpetual nervous expression on its face. The 'AX400' has a kind face and warm eyes that Connor couldn't place. It didn't seem like the type to be capable of murdering its owner and robbing a corner store. But then again, deviants weren't rational beings.

There were several police cars already on the scene but it looked as though they too had just arrived. They were all near the Eastern Motel, clustered together with their siren lights flashing. It caught the attention of some people on the streets but unlike the last crime scene, these people didn't seem interested in the presence of law enforcement at all. Some of them even walked away faster.

"I'll do all of the talking alright kid?" Lieutenant Anderson held his hand out for the file.

Connor gave it to him without hesitation. "Of course lieutenant."

Together, they entered the counter in the motel. There was only one man sitting there. He seemed to have expected them from the commotion outside. Police officers were scattered around the area, covering at least a three block radius. The DPD was most certainly strained by having so many people out at once for this singular case. But it was important. Someone had died at the hands of an android and the glitch or virus was spreading.

"I am Lieutenant Anderson. I'm with the DPD. Have you seen any androids around here? Let any of them stay for the night here?" The Lieutenant began.

The man at the counter shook his head resolutely. "Hell no. I don't let any androids stay for even one night. Policy's listed on the front door and I've kept it that way for as long as I've been here."

Lieutenant Anderson nodded. "Well in any case, we still have to cover our bases. Have you seen any of these androids around?"

When the pictures of the missing androids were shown to the man, his eyes filled with recognition. "Shit, I knew there was something weird about those two! Last night, they rented a room from me. They were dressed so normally I thought . . ."

"Are they still in that room?" Connor cut right to the chase. That earned him an annoyed glance from the lieutenant and a bewildered look from the motel owner. It was as though he'd just noticed Connor's presence.

Nonetheless, he replied. "Yeah. They should be. The times not up yet for them. It's Room 28."

It didn't matter in the end because by the time he and Lieutenant Anderson had made it there, the room was empty. The androids must have caught on the second they saw a police car park itself in the motel parking lot. Just when he thought it would turn out to be a fruitless day, one of the cops from below began to shout something. Connor caught just enough to know that the androids weren't gone like they had believed. Instead of taking the stairs back down, for efficiency, he jumped over the railing from the first floor.

"Jesus Christ Connor!" Lieutenant Anderson shouted from above. The lieutenant was human so he probably wouldn't be able to take as many shortcuts as Connor.

Without a reply, he jogged over to the cop. The man pointed to a street around the corner so Connor followed his instructions. He caught just a sliver of the two androids in question just as they made another turn. The chase was straightforward and alone, he caught up to them easily. By the time he was able to corner them against a fence that led to a speedy highway, the androids looked at him with fear. Alice, Connor immediately recognized from the file. As for the older looking android . . . She wasn't an AX400 at all.

Her hair was no longer past her shoulders but it had been cropped. Instead of dark brown it was now white. She was wearing typical human clothes which he could only surmise as having been stolen from another human. Her stature was that of an average adult android. It was probably the last detail that shocked him the most when his scanners recognized the android before him as Kara.

She seemed equally surprised by the discovery. The two of them held their gazes and it seemed like all of time started to slow down. In that one moment where everything was going too quickly and not quick enough, neither of them knew how to react.

Hundreds of questions flooded into Connor's head, they stacked up faster than he could process them. His LED was probably flashing yellow or even red at the moment. She mouthed his name but he didn't have any time to react. The sound of a gun being clocked shattered the silent interaction between them.

Connor turned around swirly to see that another officer, Officer Hills, has his gun trained on the pair. "Don't shoot! We need them alive!"

By the time he turned back, Alice and Kara had already made their way under and through the fence. Connor threw himself at it and clutched it tightly. There was no way they'd make it across the highway alive. The cars were going at least 120 miles an hour. Kara gave him one last fleeting look that read of desperation. "Don't do it, you're going to die." He hissed.

"I'll die either way if the police get to me." She smiled apologetically at him. Funny how he hadn't recognized her in the picture before. As she stood in front of him now, within grasp but once again separated by a barrier before him, Connor knew with certainty that the person he was looking at could be no one else but his sister. It didn't matter what model she embodied, she was Kara.

He watched helplessly as both Alice and Kara slid down a muddy hill to the foot of the highway. They were so close to some of the cars that their bodies swayed with the drag the vehicles left behind. Connor was halfway up the fence when a firm hand pulled him down. "Don't be stupid Connor, you'll get yourself killed!"

"But-!"

"You're not going anywhere, that's an order!" Lieutenant Anderson said firmly. He'd never commanded Connor to do something before. It was the anxious, severe tone of his voice that got Connor to loosen his grip on the fence. "Besides, they'll never make it to the other side."

That was what Connor was afraid of. He stood there, paralyzed with fear, not being able to do anything but watch Kara dodge the cars barreling down the lanes. It was stressful enough to get herself to the other side but also juggling Alice through the whole thing made everything that much more complicated. The two of them got through the first passing with Kara nearly getting clipped in the shoulder by a taxi. The next few lanes to the clearing were full of trucks and vans heading to their destination without a care for any obstacles in its way. It was a tension filled back-and-forth before the two of them had their feet planted safely on the dirt again. Connor watched them hug one another tightly and Kara slowly led Alice into a dense forest. He couldn't begin to describe the relief coursing through his thirium. The statistic of success for Kara was so low he thought he'd have to witness her death. Just the idea that this would be his first and last time seeing her after so long would have had tremendous repercussions to his psyche. Involuntarily, his body sagged and his knees even went a little weak. He would have fallen if it weren't for Lieutenant Anderson.

"Whoa there, you ok?" The lieutenant asked. It sounded more like a comment than an actual inquiry.

Connor nodded wordlessly and regained his equilibrium. When he was stable enough, the lieutenant let him go. "I'm fine . . . Just glad they didn't get killed."

Lieutenant Anderson sighed. "Me too." He gave the clearing beyond the lanes of the highway a long look. "Come on kid, let's head back."

++++++++++++End of Part V++++++++++++

* * *

Heyo, hoped you liked it. It turned out to be a lot longer than I thought. Tell me what you thought of it. Midterms are upon us, and by 'us,' I mean me. College can be so inconvenient sometimes. This means that there won't be another update till November. See you all next month!


	6. Chapter 6

Whatever happened that day of chasing the YK and AX had gotten Connor into a mood. Hank couldn't figure out for the life of him what the hell had gotten the android so sullen. Initially, he thought it was because Connor might have interpreted the events as being a failure. A failure to apprehend the androids. But no amount of reassurance could get the plastic out of the weird funk he was in. If he was human, Hank would have thought that Connor was depressed. So it was something deeper. Did he know any of the androids? He didn't seem to recognize them in the pictures.

The next few weeks seemed to only make things worse. Together, they tackled the files one by one, tracking down every lead but none of them had led to anything useful. It seemed like the greatest encounter so far was with the AX deviant but that was a while ago. As the days went by, Connor evolved from a sad android to a snappy one. Sumo was the only one who was not on the receiving end of any of the bot's annoyance. He became more irritated the more dead ends they ran into. It was almost funny at first to watch him act so strangely human. Hank couldn't help but think 'Finally, an android with a shitty attitude.'

Eventually, the novelty wore off. He got tired of dealing with all the cheek and angst. And ever since Connor had that weird growth spurt, he looked even more like an edgy teenager with his brooding. That was definitely not what Hank had signed up for when he begrudgingly agreed to take Connor on.

Hank didn't know how he knew this, he mostly attributed it to a gut feeling, but he could tell that Connor was at the end of his rope. With what, he didn't know. But the plastic was just one snarky jab away from burning the entire police department down. Before Gavin could even step foot within a twenty foot radius of their shared terminal, Hank decided to take a lunch break, hauling Connor along as well.

He took them to one of his favorite places, the Chicken Feed. The cleanliness of the establishment couldn't be guaranteed but as long as the food tasted good, that was all he cared about. Gary Kayes gave him a quick wave before he went back to watching over his burgers. Hank noticed a familiar face leaning against the counter. It was Pedro Aabdar. Though he was sure his money had gone down the shitter from the last horse racing bet, he still greeted the man with amusement. Pedro was someone who had a good humor about him and his crimes were harmless. The neighborhood knew the man to be quite the character and they'd be worse off without him.

"Your shit tips got you skulking around the Feed again?" Hank asked.

Pedro grinned at him, undeterred. The second he took a step forward, Hank knew he'd be losing more money today. "Hank! Just the man I wanted to see. Now last week wasn't all that good but this week-! This week, I've got some super-hot tips coming in. You're going to want to put some money in."

Hank snorted, incredulous. Nonetheless, he still pulled his wallet out. He handed Pedro a few bills. "Try not to set me back a couple of hundred dollars will ya? This better be worth it."

Pedro jumped back and forth, happy to have gotten the money. "Hey man, you won't regret this!"

And just like that, he was off. Hank watched him run out into the rain and disappear around a corner before turning back to Gary. His usual was laid out in front of him. Besides alcohol, a good burger and shake can do wonders for his mood. Gary seemed to take notice of Connor when he said, "It took you some time, but you've finally given in and got yourself an android huh Hank?"

Hank took a glance at Connor. For once, he didn't look pissy, just curious. He then turned back to the Chicken Feed owner. "Nah, you know me better than that. He's working with me."

Gary did a double take at Connor. "Wait, really? He's like helping solve crimes and shit?"

Hank shrugged and began taking a few steps toward a table. "What a world we live in."

"Well don't just leave it here." The man said nervously when Connor didn't move. The plastic seemed to have been frozen, eyes narrowed at something.

"Don't worry. He follows me everywhere. Just like a poodle." Hank assured. And true to his word, once the android was finished scanning whatever it was he was scanning, he made his way over to Hank.

There weren't any chairs by the tables but Hank didn't mind. He began to eat and thought this was a good a time as any to prod the android some more. The sooner he figured out what was going on the Connor, the better. The android in question was currently fiddling around with some napkins.

Hank opened his mouth to say something but Connor beat him to it. "Lieutenant, your meal contains 1.5 times your average daily caloric intake. You shouldn't be eating that."

Of course the bot would rag on him for his eating habits. Hank rolled his eyes and took another big bite just to spite him. "Everyone's gotta die of something, kid."

The android pulled a face that looked half annoyed and half exasperated. "You should take care of yourself lieutenant. It wouldn't be productive for either of us if your poor choices got in the way of our work."

The kid looked like he was 15 but acted like he was actually going on 30. Hank tried to orient himself around the jarring observation. Connor was definitely not your run of the mill child android. As if the last few weeks weren't an indication of that already. There was something to Connor that Hank just couldn't quite place. The plastic is a mixed bag of naïveté and maturity; and in all the ways that couldn't typically be seen with a human. He's said time and again that he hadn't been created to fit a role, he was made to be himself. Well Connor being himself has got to be the strangest sentient being Hank's ever met. That's what he was, wasn't he? Sentient.

He wasn't just an android who followed orders, he has goals and personal agendas too. One of which is working for the DPD to avoid being homeless.

Hank let his train of thought go in order to face the issue at hand he'd been meaning to tackle. "What's been so far up your ass to make you this miserable?" He asked bluntly.

The question took Connor off guard. "What?"

"Come on, don't act like you don't know. You've been all weird since that encounter with the 'AX400' and that YK, Alice. Now's probably a good time as any to spill it." He persisted.

The LED at Connor's temple went yellow. But even without it, Hank could tell that the android was conflicted. It was written all over his face. Connor's grip on the napkins tightened and he had a faraway expression in his eyes. "I know who the android who was with Alice is. Her name is Kara, and she is also another android like me. We were both made by Kamski."

Hank put his burger down and narrowed his eyes at the plastic. "Oh, wonderful! And you'd didn't think that sharing this information with me at any point would have been a good idea?"

He knew he couldn't command Connor to just confess everything he knew, that wasn't how Connor was programmed. He needed to approach this as though he were talking to any other person.

"I didn't tell you before because I was afraid the information would be submitted officially. Then the next logical step for the DPD would be to interrogate me to find out all that I know about Kara. I haven't seen her in nearly a year. But now that I have, I don't want the police to get to her. Without a doubt, they'd killed her. Because she killed Williams and she's a deviant in the eyes of the law."

Hank couldn't deny that logic. The android, Kara, would definitely be destroyed once the DPD ran out of uses for her. He wasn't sure what exactly Kamski's goal is for releasing these androids out into society like this. One is assumed to be a deviant while the other is working in tandem with the law enforcement to capture deviants. But neither of them belonged to the category of typical androids. Coincidentally, their 'free will' as it were had pitted them against each other. And yet, Connor's desire to protect Kara overrode his mission to capture her and Alice.

Hank didn't know how long they've been together at the Kamski mansion but the two might share a close relationship. It would make sense that seeing his fellow android of the same type be considered a runaway criminal would set Connor on edge. Now that they've lost the trail on that particular lead, it seemed as though the best they could hope for was for the two androids to have gone into hiding and avoid the police as much as possible from here on out.

This really didn't seem like something that should be put on record. Rather than clearing anything up, it would just make matters more complicated. Even worse, knowing what Kara was capable of while in full control of her actions, it might cast some suspicion as to how loyal Connor was to the DPD or if he had any detrimental agendas like tearing down the institution from the inside out. Biased as he was, Hank was pretty sure that Connor had no such intentions. The kid couldn't even lie his way out of a soggy paper bag. There was no way he could be a part of some conspiracy theory. But that wouldn't stop everyone else in the DPD from thinking so. Most of them were already wary of the plastic and would use any little reason to get him out.

Hank sighed and a thought came to his head. "If you were so afraid about what would happen to her, why are you telling me all of this? For all you know, I could just go back to Fowler and tell him after our break is over."

Connor let out a small cough, an unnecessary human gesture, but he did it all the same. "I would hope that you would keep what I've told you between us, lieutenant. You seemed concerned about my wellbeing and I had no other way of telling you what has kept my mind preoccupied but to tell you the truth."

Like he said, the kid was honest, through and through. Always. He snorted. "Don't get it twisted kid, I was just tired of your snarky . . . everything."

"Oh, I apologize if I've been unpleasant." Connor said in earnest. There was even a light blue hue that tinged his cheeks. "I was so in my head as of late that I didn't even realize I might have come across as rude."

Hank waved the apology away easily. "Nothing worth losing sleep over. Let's just get on with today's lead. What do we got?"

Getting right back to business, Connor opened their latest folder. Hank was pretty sure that the android already remembered everything that was written on those papers but he still looked down at the information as though he was seeing it for the first time. Little gestures like that made him think that maybe Connor wanted to be human more than he let on. Or at the very least, he seemed to admire human traits and emulated them wherever he could. Connor frowned. "Just a noise complaint about an apartment complex near a factory farm which is responsible for more than 40% of Detroit's produce."

That didn't sound exciting at all. Hank rolled his eyes. "Ugh. This sucks."

"I agree." Connor said easily enough. "But it is a lead nonetheless and we shouldn't leave any lead unchecked."

Finishing his food, Hank tossed the wrappers in the garbage and beckoned for Connor to follow him to the car. This was going to be a mundane day.

Against his initial beliefs, he would later find himself wrong. Upon arriving to the designated apartment room, Hank had given the door a few knocks and even a hits for good measure. When there was no response, he and Connor shared a look. Connor shrugged, dismissing the case. Then they heard a loud bang from inside.

"Get behind me." Hank instructed, pulling his gun out from his side.

"Got it." Connor said warily, not needing to be told twice.

Hank gave it a second before kicking the door open. He went in first, scoping out the room. Connor shadowed him cautiously, keeping his eyes out for any sudden movements. Once they had checked the small cupboards, they entered the main living space. To Hank's utter distaste, it was filled to the brim with pigeons. New and old bird shit alike made the place stink with an intensity that could rival that of a fresh, decaying corpse.

"Fucking birds!" Hank exclaimed as a flock of them flew out of an open window. The rest of the pigeons, less perturbed by the presence of people stayed and went about their business. He had half a mind to kick at them until there was not a bird left in sight but an irrational fear within him gave him pause. What if they all turned on him and pecked him to death? Ugh. Hank shuddered at the thought.

Connor went into the bathroom to their left and inspected the chaos there. When he came out, he reported his findings. So another deviant was taking refuge here. From the scribbles of rA9 on the wall and the detached LED light in the sink, it became obvious that they could be dealing with a dangerous android.

There was a worn jacket on a dusty table with an embroidered name on the inside. Who the hell still had their names embroidered on their clothing anymore? Hank didn't know if the name 'Rupert' would be useful but he kept in mind regardless.

Hank maintained his grip on his gun at all times as he inspected the rest of the room. Opening a small closet, Connor found a notebook with what seemed to be a shitload of coding and incompressible writing. That will have to be taken in as evidence.

Glancing outside, the sun was at a high point in the sky. It had to be around late noon at the moment. The farm that was mentioned in the report was in sight. It was the only area that was glistening with the glass of the greenhouses and vibrant from all the vegetables being cultivated. In the midst of the desaturated city, it stood out quite a bit. Turning back to the android, Hank noticed Connor with that weird face he always made when he's analyzing something. The kid's eyes went from the bathroom to the overturned chair to a fallen birdcage and slowly made its way to a corner of the ceiling.

"Lieutenant . . ." Connor said lowly, approaching the corner with the utmost care. He crept toward it as quietly as possible, as though the smallest sound would ruin it all. Oddly enough, even the remaining pigeons had some sense to keep quiet. "The deviant, it's still here."

"Shit." Hank hissed, drawing his gun upwards. There was no time to react when the deviant dropped down and nearly landed on top of Connor with a loud crash. Then, it made its way out the door, leaving behind a mess of plaster and dried up paint chips.

Recovering from the shock in a matter of seconds, Connor gave chase. Hank did what he could to catch up but fucking hell, he couldn't compare to two androids. Their pace was beyond him, but he didn't give up. He stood over one of the building rooftops just in time to see Connor and the deviant jumping off a moving train to climb up another wall. Yeah, there was no way in fuck he'd be able to catch up to them at this rate. There had to be another way.

From the general direction that the two seemed to be heading toward, Hank cut past a few corners and ran to the opposite side of the industrial farm. Taking a risk, he chose one of the buildings next to the farm and made his way to the top. With how the deviant and Connor were parkouring around, it was likely they'd find themselves reaching higher ground again eventually. His intuition paid off handsomely when he noticed the deviant running toward him. Hank made a move to grab the deviant but it reflexively twisted out of his grasp and pushed him over the edge of the building. Taking hold of the ledge just in time Hank did his best not to look down and think about how close to death he was. Pulling himself up, he noticed that Connor had stopped in front of him, eyes trained on the back of the deviant. Hank could tell that he was processing which action to pursue, whether to help Hank from possibly falling off the side of a building or to go after a real lead after so many weeks of duds. But he didn't have to worry about his wellbeing for one second because Connor quickly went over to him to pull him back up.

As Hank got his feet back on something solid again he cursed. "Shit. Shit! You would have gotten it too if it weren't for me."

Connor shook his head slowly. "None of this would have happened if I had been faster."

Before he could stop himself, Hank ran a hand through the android's hair and ruffled it. He'd done this all the time to Cole when he was upset. Though Connor had a neutral face on, it couldn't hide the slight strain across his features. "It got away for now. We won't let this lead go cold."

His words of comfort drew a curious look from the plastic.

Once Hank finally realized what he was doing, he quickly pulled away. He shouldn't have done that. Cole and Connor were two separate people and the line between them had to be reaffirmed. He couldn't go treating Connor like he was anything more than his partner or his coworker just because he saved Hank's life. That's what partners were for. To give the android any more than mild concern and apathy would only result in something completely disastrous.

Making his way toward the stairs, Hank stared at Connor for a good minute. The android was looking into the distance. Perhaps he thought that if he looked long enough, he would be able to catch some movement of the deviant.

"Hey, Connor." Hank called.

Immediately, Connor abandoned his fruitless search in favor of looking at him. "Yes lieutenant?"

Just like that, the bot had dropped everything for him. Hank didn't know how he felt about that. He was halfway to thanking Connor for not leaving him to be some poor imitation of splatter art on the sidewalk when he decided against it. "I . . . never mind."

If the android was befuddled, well that was just too bad. Hank knew he was way too tired to prolong the field work any longer and far too sober to begin to process just how quickly he was warming up to a certain plastic who had a tendency to act more human than was needed.

* * *

If Connor was the one who'd previously been in an odd state of mind that behavior had now shifted to Lieutenant Anderson. The man had been drinking more than usual, often to the point of reaching unresponsiveness most nights. Connor wondered if it was due to the deviant getting away.

The rest of the week brought nothing of value to them. Try as he might to reassure Connor, the deviant could not be found. They began to refer to it as 'Rupert.' He wasn't sure if that really was the name of the deviant but since the lieutenant referred to it as such, Connor did as well. When he wasn't trying to organize a hundred leads and dead ends on a holographic board that only he could see, he played with Sumo. The pup was almost scary in how astute he was to the subtle emotional shifts of those in his company. In the last few weeks, Sumo had followed Connor around, giving him more attention. This week, he sought after the lieutenant. Though more often than not, the attempts to comfort the man were sit that; attempts.

On a particularly rainy night, the captain had called. Apparently there had been yet another case of a murder by android and since it happened so recently, there's been no file made, no prior investigation done. This meant that they'd have to make a profile of the suspect from scratch. That was alright with Connor. If anything, it made it all the more exciting.

The problem at hand though, was getting the lieutenant to want to go as well. At the moment, the man was currently sleeping on the kitchen table, snuggling a bottle of whiskey. Even from the living room, Connor could tell that the lieutenant was in an ethylic coma. He didn't know whether or not the man could be brought out of unconsciousness.

A loud thud took him out of his thoughts. A clinking noise indicated that the bottle had not shattered. Lieutenant Anderson had slipped and fallen to the floor. Connor rushed over with Sumo in tow. "Lieutenant?"

The lieutenant barely stirred, though he did groan a bit in pain.

Connor wondered at what the best course of action would be. It wouldn't do to just leave the lieutenant on the cold floor. He might get sick. But Connor knew he didn't have the strength the carry the man anywhere. He needed the lieutenant awake.

As he hovered over the lieutenant, calling him again. No response. At this point, the reasonable thing to do was to try and rouse the man by shaking him. "Lieutenant, wake up!" Connor exclaimed.

Hank Anderson blearily opened his eyes. It was as though he was still half unconscious. Connor decided more drastic measures had to be taken. He slapped him.

"What the fuck-!"

"It's me, Connor." He clarified. From what he could recall, inebriated people tend to be very confused about their surroundings and can't ascertain their situation objectively. Connor didn't understand why humans would hinder themselves like this. Why would anyone put themselves in such a vulnerable position? It could be dangerous and as statistics showed, fatal in numerous instances.

The lieutenant had his palm on the entirety of Connor's face and promptly shoved him away. "Not the face I wanted to see." He groused.

Connor wasn't sure how sober the lieutenant was but he wanted to push forward with the task that the captain had given them. "Lieutenant, we have a case to solve. The captain had just informed me that there's been another murder at the hands of an android. The body is still fresh."

The lieutenant seemed to turn ill at Connor's briefing. "Ugh, let's not talk about dead bodies when I'm one second away from blowing chunks."

Connor stayed quiet and helped the man up. As Lieutenant Anderson slowly dragged his feet to the bathroom, he trailed behind him. He was forced to stop when the lieutenant slammed the door in his face. Sumo whined at his ankle. Waiting for the man to finish vomiting, Connor patiently stood by the door. He wondered how it felt to forcefully expel internal contents of one's body. Surely it was unpleasant. It sounded unpleasant. But still Connor thought to himself that if he could just experience it one time, just to satiate his curiosity, then maybe it might not be so bad.

When the door opened again, a haggard looking lieutenant walked out, eyeing him warily. "So, you said there was a murder?"

Connor hoped he hid his elation well enough, seeing Lieutenant Anderson fully awake and cognizant now. "Yes, a homicide had taken place about an hour ago. A man was killed in a sex club somewhere downtown. We had been told to arrive there before forensics take over the vicinity."

Judging from the look on the lieutenant's face, it didn't seem like the man was so thrilled about the location of the murder. He sighed. "And here I thought I'd have the night all to myself. Instead, I have to drag my sorry ass along with yours to a club at the seedy part of town in the middle of the night. Fan-fucking-tastic."

Well when it was put in such a manner, it didn't sound good at all. But Connor knew better. This could be the next big piece to their overall case. It didn't matter how unsavory the area was. If it brought them closer to stopping the deviants, then all the better. For the moment, feelings that surrounded his doubts and of Kara would have to be placed to the side. He had a mission to carry out.

"My fucking head is pounding." Lieutenant Anderson groaned as he parked just in front of their destination. He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly. "Fucking lights."

Connor looked out the window and saw that the sex club was decked out with fluorescent screens and lights. The Eden Club certainly stood out in the middle of the night and it was currently agitating the lieutenant. Exiting the car, he followed the lieutenant inside. A police officer by the entrance gave them a puzzled look but otherwise did not comment on their presence. Connor had had a faint idea of what the purpose of the club was though he couldn't imagine what the interior would look like. From the way that the lieutenant had put it, he thought it was be much less sanitary.

The Eden Club was polished both inside and out. Though it was in a less than adequate neighborhood, it clearly came off as a high-End establishment. There were many androids swaying back and forth in pods, trying to catch the lieutenant's attention but he paid them no mind. The androids in turn did not look at Connor at all, it was as though he wasn't there.

A stout man approached them, wringing his hands. "You're not going to shut this place down are you? I had nothing to do with this! I had no way of knowing they could go deviant."

"This place is under investigation, so yeah, it'll have to be down for a while." Lieutenant Anderson affirmed gruffly. "When it can go back to normal, I don't have a clue."

The man, likely the owner of the club, looked disappointed with the news. He showed them to the crime scene and upon entering, Connor saw Reed heading out. The detective scowled when looked up. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"Checking out the crime scene, what else?" Lieutenant Anderson retorted, his patience rather thin from the tone of his voice. No doubt he was still suffering from a hangover.

Reed shrugged. "Be my guest. I'm already done with the place. Maybe your tin can over here can figure something out."

As the detective exited the room, he nearly knocked into Connor, grumbling about the stink of booze on his way out. Connor followed the lieutenant until he was a few feet away from the victim. The man was lying in bed, his eyes wide open and the dark bruise on his neck was telling of how he died. The victim's name was Michael Graham.

Next to him in the floor was an android that seemed to have had its thirium pump ruined and circuitry in tatters. There was blue blood leaking out of its nose. Knowing that the lieutenant would highly object, Connor worked quickly in tasting the fresh thirium. He was noticed anyways.

"For Christ's sake Connor- you're so fucking gross." Lieutenant Anderson exclaimed.

Connor ignored him, seeing the model of the android pop up in his vision. The android was a WR400, more commonly referred to as a Traci. Gathering some clues in the space between the two, Connor was able to recreate a snippet of the scene that led to Graham's death.

"He has been strangled." Connor said.

"I noticed." The lieutenant replied. "But in a place like this, it ain't uncommon. So it doesn't really narrow anything down. We're also not sure if this android's the one that killed him."

Connor hummed, turning his attention back to the android. He skimmed its arm with his fingers trying to de if he could connect with it. He never liked this method of communication. It was an ability he used sparingly. Something about getting into the mind of another android always irked him. He always felt displaced and disconnected from himself whenever he'd tried it with Marcus and Kara. To do it with a seemingly dead android added to his hesitation.

"Can you connect with its memory to see what happened?" The lieutenant asked.

"I could . . ." Connor murmured, noticing that the WR400 would have to be activated before any connection could be made. "But from the state of its wires, it might only stay awake for a minute or two. The damage is pretty severe."

He dug around the complicated abdomen, finding the two main wires he was looking for. The second the two pieces connected, the android was shocked back into activation mode. It panicked and quickly shifted away from him. He slowly approached it and lowered himself.

"What's going on?" It asked, looking over to the victim. "Is he-?"

Connor jumped in, not knowing how much time they had with the android and not wanting to waste time. "What happened here?"

"We-well," The WR400 stammered. "He was hitting me. He kept hitting me and he wouldn't stop."

"Is that why you killed him?" Connor demanded.

Its eyes went wide at the accusation, and its voice raised an octave. "I didn't kill him! He nearly killed me!"

His mind raced to make sense of the information. "Was there someone else with you? Or were you alone in the room with him?"

"The client, he had asked for two girls . . ." The android stated, its eyes began to become glazed over.

"Where did the other android go?" The question was asked in vain as the android had used the last sliver of its energy and deactivated once more. Its body slumped against the wall, sliding down marginally.

An irrational reflex happened upon Connor. He almost wanted to grab a fistful of his hair and just pull it out of frustration. Instead, he just sighed and stood back up again from his crouching position. The lieutenant had an odd look on his face. He seemed half amused and half wry. Slapping a hand on Connor's shoulder, he said, "Don't get too upset. She gave us as much information as she could. At least now we know they weren't alone."

"I know." Connor exhaled loudly. For some reason, the act of doing so made him feel slightly better. Not much, but a little bit. That still left the question as to where the true deviant could have gone. It could have ran but there was no way they wouldn't be noticed in the standard uniform provided by the club. The chances might be slim but there was a possibility that the android didn't leave just yet. If it was still lurking around in the club, then maybe they could catch it.

They left the room of the crime scene and the lieutenant went back to the owner to ask him some more questions. In the meantime, Connor looked around the club a bit more. The entire area was bathed in purple light while there were streaks of pink here and there to bring attention to the androids in the pods. They mostly moved in slow, repetitive motions, their faces looking impassive. Connor examined one android outside of the pods, dancing on a pole. The Traci had the image of a male with brown hair and green eyes. It seemed to have noticed him and stopped dancing. Out of curiosity, he reached his hand out to touch it. They immediately synced up and Connor saw flashes of its memories. The android had been in the same spot all night, facing one way. For the most part, it hadn't witnessed any other android walking a path that began at the crime scene to its field of vision. Until a blue-haired android turned a corner just in its line of sight. Jerking himself out of the connection, Connor knew he had to let the lieutenant know of his findings.

"Lieutenant!" Connor called out.

Lieutenant Anderson had just ended his interview with the owner and approached Connor. "Did you find anything?"

Connor eyed one of the androids in the pod. This one was a female with a sharp black bob. She gave him a soft smile and made a beckoning motion with her hand. She should be in perfect position to see where the blue-haired android headed. Connor turned back to the lieutenant. "I need you to rent this android . . . this Traci."

The lieutenant looked absolutely baffled at his request. "Connor, now is not the fucking time-"

"Trust me lieutenant, it's important." Connor insisted. Though Lieutenant Anderson grumbled, he did what Connor asked. When the WR400 was freed from its pod, she sauntered out and looked between him and the lieutenant. Before she even spoke a word, he grabbed her hand and connected with her. Sorting through her memories, he found the piece of footage he needed and let go on her. A trail was formulating from all of the Traci's memories. These androids were going to help him find the deviant.

"The deviant headed this way lieutenant, let's go." Connor was already walking. The anticipation was coursing through him. He remembered the owner of the club informing them that every Traci had their memories wiped clean every two hours. It's been an hour and fifty-five minutes since the murder took place. They were working at a very quick deadline, but they hadn't failed yet.

"It saw the deviant? What do I do about this one?" Lieutenant Anderson asked.

"Just tell her you decline! She should stop whatever she's doing." Connor answered, looking back just once before marching onwards with his immediate task at hand.

At a distance, he could still hear the lieutenant stumble over his words as he tried to send the android back into her pod. "Listen sweetheart, you're a pretty girl and all but I really can't. See, I'm with the kid and- no wait, that sounds super fucked up. I'm not _with him_ with him, we're just- he's just- you know what, I decline. I decline!"

When the lieutenant finally caught up to him, they went on a rapid pattern of unlocking the pods and having Connor scan their limited surveillance footage. They zigzagged through the club, turning many corners in an effort to trace the deviant's path. By the time they examined the last android, their records had led them to the back storage room. When they entered, the small warehouse was dim. The garage entrance where supply trucks would usually stop in front of was left wide open. Connor walked over to the opening and looked out into the streets.

The lieutenant sighed. "It could be anywhere by now."

"Maybe." Connor offered. But something within him told him that the deviant truly didn't leave the vicinity. She would have been spotted on the streets right away. He took a full look at the warehouse, and wondered if the Traci might actually be hiding in this very room.

As Lieutenant Anderson looked on, Connor honed in on a corner of the warehouse. Among a group of inactive androids, a yellow LED light stood out. Approaching it, he saw that it was the blue-haired Traci. Before he could shout out his findings, a different Traci shoved him to the floor. A fight ensued as Connor tried to fend off the brunette android. The lieutenant had his hands full with their deviant.

Somewhere along the way, the brown-haired Traci was able to get a hold of a screwdriver. She slashed at him with it but Connor had already found his footing again. He dodged her attacks as fast as he could. In some moments, he narrowly escaped getting stabbed. When she came at him once more, he hooked a foot around her leg and tripped her. She had a fistful of his shirt and they both went tumbling out of the warehouse. Connor quickly rolled into his stomach and got back up. By then, the Traci was standing as well though she seemed to have lost her weapon. They ended up downgrading to a fistfight where Connor tried to do as much damage as he could to incapacitate the accomplice. He doubted his punches were all that effective but it seemed to be enough for him to hold his own.

And then the deviant came out of nowhere to push him against the wall. As Connor tried to regain his balance, the two androids tried to run by climbing a metal fence. He quickly put a stop to that, dragging the blue-haired Traci back down which caused the other WR400 to stop fleeing as well. The lieutenant tried to enter the scuffle but had his gun knocked out of his hand. Fortunately for them, the gun slid right to Connor and he grabbed it without hesitation. The two Traci's froze when they saw the gun trained on them. "Don't move; either of you." Connor warned them.

"You saw what happened to the other Traci, didn't you?" The deviant asked. "That man broke her. It was only a matter of time before he broke me too."

Connor's grip on the gun faltered. His arm slackened until the gun was pointing downwards at the ground. The Traci continued. "I was scared, so I grabbed his throat and squeezed real hard until he stopped moving. Until he stopped breathing."

"You-" Connor began but was quickly interrupted.

"I hadn't meant to kill him. I didn't want to." She insisted. "I just . . . wanted to get away from him. I needed to run back to the one I truly loved. All we ever wanted to do was to get away from all of those disgusting, terrible humans. Their tight grasp and verbal abuse was all too much."

Her gaze found the brown-haired Traci and they shared a look. Connor didn't know what to say to that. He watched them, speechless as they were finally able to jump the fence, uninterrupted this time. When they were on the other side, the deviant gave him a fleeting look before disappearing into the night with her lover. It began to rain but Connor hardly felt the droplets. He was still blindsided by what had just happened. Were androids really capable of love? That seemed to be too enormous of a question for his fatigued mind and body to handle at the moment. He was too surprised to even be disappointed that he'd let the deviant get away. A part of him wanted to say that the deviant didn't actually love anyone, she just said whatever she could to earn herself a getaway. But the other, larger part of him told himself that the Traci looked genuine. She really believed that she was in love. And that feeling was clearly reciprocated by the other Traci.

"You know what, it's probably better this way." Lieutenant Anderson said. He didn't seem upset either. With both hands on Connor's shoulders, he led him out of the rain and back into the warehouse. "This is going to be one hell of a report to write up. I already dread having to justify spending more than six hundred dollars on sex bots as a work expense. Jeffery is going to have a fucking field day with this one."

++++++++++++End of Part VI++++++++++++

* * *

Can I just say I am so sorry for the long wait? Because I am; sorry that is. I thought midterms would just be a quick ordeal but then I got hit with three papers due the week after that and I wanted to cry. Anyways, you guys probably don't care about my junk. I'm curious though, how has anyone else's midterms gone if you're in school? Did you do well? Anyways, I hope you all liked this little chapter. Please excuse any horrific grammar and spelling issues in this one, I wrote it all in a rush. I may be slow to update but I really want to see this entire thing through. Just warning you all ahead of time, the next update will happen in December. When in December, I'm not sure. Since I just got through midterms you all know what's next; finals. The horror. So I'll see you all next month! Definitely before Christmas, I can say that much at least.


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